Love Like Weeds
by baka-neko-fan
Summary: Some relationships are like weeds. No matter how hard you try to get rid of them, cutting them down to the roots, the feelings just keep coming back... The interesting thing is, some weeds are actually quite beautiful, when given the chance to flourish. Loki has tried to cut Thor out of his life, but he will discover some roots run too deep to be clawed from the Earth by our hands.
1. Chapter 1

This story was co-written with ColorfulLokitty who will be posting this to AO3, so if it seems familiar... You may have read it there. It started out as a role play, but we're currently turning it into a fanfic because we love it so much and want to share it with the world. Rated for language and suggestive themes.

Includes: Thorki, Science Bros, and some triggerscenes with Thanos, but I'll warn about those later.

Neither of us own Marvel or anything associated.

* * *

The sun had finally disappeared below the horizon, though the sky was still left bright from the city lights. However, through the dark, he could see the faint light of the stars. His green eyes were trained on that blackness, searching through the various bright speckles and questioning each one. He wondered which one was Asgard and which was Jotunheim and he wondered briefly exactly how far he was from home. _No, it isn't your home now. You have no home._ He was constantly having to reprimand himself, not that he would ever say anything to anyone else about it.

Loki sighed, his gaze falling back to the still-busy New York streets spanning out infront of him. Even at nighttime he had to be careful about going out on the town. Waiting for a break in the passer-by, he fixed the placing of the scarf that fell around his neck before walking out into the street. He glanced back at the brightly-lit apartment building he had just left for a moment until he crossed the street quickly so that he wouldn't have to later.

Central Park was always a nice place to go whenever Loki just needed a moment to breathe or get away from the everyday obstacles of living on Midgard, or rather, the obstacles of living his new life right under the Avengers' noses. Thankfully, some places in the park were sparsely populated even during the day so he could remain there for hours simply sorting through his thoughts.

It angered him that he had to resort to such meager options simply because he no longer had his magic. That fact tore through him every time he thought of it. He didn't have his magic and he was left to whatever physical strength his now-mortal form could muster. His mind was his largest resource now and at least, without his magic, he couldn't be tracked easily and could actually lie-low for awhile and simply recuperate. However, he still had to live and though he had managed so far, Midgardian contact came about daily and he simply had to hope that they didn't recognize him.

Loki was glad that Central Park was in walking distance from his apartment as he didn't have to use the subway or even resort to a cab. That was simply more unneeded contact that he already didn't wish to run into.

It was only a few moments later before he entered Central Park; even now, there were still people loitering around in. He turned immediately, walking down a separate path that would lead him deeper into the park. The trees were closer together this way except for the occasional clearings or even, water sources.

A sudden boom of thunder caused him to jump, his gaze flicking around nervously as he searched for anything that seemed out of place. He shook his head a moment later, realizing that it was ignorant of him to even believe that the thunder was caused by Thor. The thunder god had no reason to come to Midgard as Loki was sure the prince didn't even know he was there; Thor hadn't even been present at his trial though Loki didn't know whether it was by choice or not. Why does it matter if he was forced to stay away or not? It didn't matter.

Loki followed the path quietly, losing track of how much time had passed since he had arrived. He had long since stopped pausing whenever people passed him as the numbers of them had dwindled. The only lights now were the lamps that occasional spotted the trail, usually located above a bench or trashcan. It was a long while before he finally stopped at one of the benches, sitting down on the edge of it and resting for a moment. It had also fallen quiet, the only noises being the various sounds of hidden creatures in the brush and the distant blaring of horns and bustle of city life.

~~~~~~~~~~THISISAPAGEBREAK~~~~~~~~~~

It had been quite some time since Thor had seen his brother- it had been rather chaotic when they returned. Their father, Odin, had a multitude of guards waiting for them, and before he could say anything edgewise, Loki had been taken from him to consult with the Allfather about his punishment. Truthfully, Thor was thankful for this- in spite of everything, Loki was still his brother, and hearing the harsh words he knew his father would not spare was not something he particularly looked forward to.

That said, he didn't really know what became of Loki. He had assumed that his brother was in a high-security prison cell somewhere in Asgard, but could not truly be certain. He had never asked his parents about it, and they, sensing his discomfort with the topic, had refrained from commenting.

In spite of this, he would occasionally ask Heimdal how his brother was faring, and receive non-specific answers such as "surprisingly well" or "just fine" in response. Of course, Thor had never expected or wanted much more than that, as he was not entirely sure he wanted to know any more details than that. But on this particular evening, when he went to visit Heimdall, he found the gatekeeper in an unusually good mood. "Good evening, Heimdall. Having a good day, are we? Have you seen something that amuses you?"

"I most certainly have," Heimdall replied honestly, after giving Thor a formal salute in greeting, "It seems your friends, The Avengers, are planning on making a move tonight."

"I see... More trouble in Midgard? Those mortals can be quite petty," Thor confessed, peering over the edge of the shattered rainbow bridge. "Who might their target be? Should I return to aid them?"

"Oh, there should be no need for that." Heimdall replied, collecting himself, "Without his magic, Loki won't put up much of a fight. It should be fun to watch, however."

This news came as a shock, "Father sent Loki to Midgard?" The thunder god wondered anxiously.

"He did indeed. In order to teach him human suffering, he's been given the same punishment as you were- he was stripped of his powers until he can prove himself worthy of them, and placed right under the noses of The Avengers, so that he might help repair some of the damage he has done, and experience for himself the chaos that resonates, though nearly everything has been repaired by now."

Thor had heard quite enough. "Tell my father I've gone to visit Midgard, but do not tell him what I do there." With this said, he summoned a great thunder storm and blasted himself to into Central Park on a lightning bolt, hoping that he close enough to find Loki from there- it was the only place he knew was clear enough to land without destroying much in New York City.

As he had chosen to land in one of the more secluded areas of the park, Thor was not surprised to see that no one was really around- though there were some strange floating lights that were bothering him. Deciding he'd follow these lights for a time, he tried to remember where he'd seen them before... It was awfully familiar, but in the darkness, it was just so hard to tell. Suddenly, a man in a red, white and blue suit came up from behind him. "Good of you to join us, soldier." Steve said, smiling behind his mask.

"Alright, looks like the gang's all here! Well, Loki? Any last words?" The flying lights- which turned out to be Tony Stark in his Iron Man getup, addressed a lonely figure on a bench, charging his weapons.

Loki tensed immediately, his gaze flicking up to the Avengers that were already gathering around him. How had they managed to find him so easily? He was aware that they were all there, even Thor.

It took a moment for everything to soak in, but once it did, Thor threw himself between Loki and the assembling Avengers, "No! Please, wait, my friends. Please, just... lower your weapons and let's talk this out reasonably."

Opening his mouth to reply, Loki already had a smart retort forming on his tongue as Stark addressed him though he cut himself short as Thor jumped between them. What was he doing? Was...was Thor protecting him? He narrowed his eyes at them, taking a few steps back only to have somebody clear their throat, instantly looking over to see Clint Barton. The archer had an arrow already notched and aimed at him.

"Thor! You're seriously protecting him? After everything he did?!" Clint snapped, keeping his eyes trained on Loki.

Loki glared back at him, his gaze only moving to glance at the other Avengers occasionally. The green beast caused him to be nervous as the old memories flicked through his mind. He noticed Agent Romanoff standing just off to the side of Barton, one of her pistols aimed at him.

"He threw me out of my own window for god's sake! And do you know how much those repairs cost me? A lot!" Tony added, his repulsors still trained on Loki as he had refused to lower them.

Loki bit his lip, barely managing to keep back the sharp replies that had rose in his mind. Even he was able to tell when it was beneficial for him to keep quiet and now was one of those times.

"I understand your frustration," Thor replied calmly, "And I am not saying that he should go unpunished- but you must also understand, that even after all he's done... This is still my younger brother, and I know he's not as genuinely evil as he presents himself." Thor glanced over his shoulder at Loki as he said this, smiling a bit sadly, "I care not for your parentage- you are my brother... and I won't stand by and watch you die."

With this said, he turned back to the Avengers- more specifically, Tony Stark, who seemed the angriest of everyone, "At least make it a fair fight. What you don't understand- and I myself have just now discovered- is that Loki was banished from Asgard and stripped of his powers, just as I was when I was facing punishment for attacking the Frost Giants. He has no power- he is defenseless. Would you, who call yourselves heroes, truly wish to attack a mere mortal man without defense using such power?"

Loki rolled his eyes before glaring at Thor. "You are a sentimental fool," he growled quietly. "And you should know that this in itself is by far punishment enough, not only am I stuck here but the Allfather had to make me one of them," he said, scrunching his nose in disgust.

Well this made Steve, "Captain America," hesitate, at least. "He's really lost ALL of his power?" He questioned skeptically.

Thor nodded, "I'd swear it on my life. If you attacked him now as you intend to, he would die, without fail. I've come to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Wasn't that the initial goal, anyway?" Tony wondered, "Kill him without fail? This information just makes our job easier."

"It would be easier if you would just let us kill him, Thor; he only presents a threat while he is here. I don't care if he doesn't have his magic, I'm sure he'll find one way or another to get by," Clint retorted, the bow still taut.

"I'm still having a hard time believing he doesn't have his magic either. What makes you think he's not just feigning it?" Natasha asked, her gun lowering just slightly as she looked over at Thor.

"I know because a dear friend of mine who has the power omniscience was looking forward to watching you kill Loki. That's how I heard about all of this in the first place." The Thunderer replied honestly.

Loki glared at Thor, not feeling the need to correct him constantly. So Heimdall had told Thor of his presence here on Midgard? It wasn't as though Loki had expected anything less of the Gatekeeper but he had expected the Allfather to at least inform Thor of his punishment. But then again, Odin knew that Thor would only interfere as he was now.

Loki chuckled, snapping himself out of his thoughts. "If I had my magic, do you honestly think I would honor you with my presence?" He asked sarcastically in response to the spy's question.

"Yeah, because I feel so very honored," Clint snapped back in response for Natasha.

Loki gave him a lopsided grin. "Oh, you should be."

"He's right. If he had his magic, he would be able to get away." Thor pointed out, he wanted to talk with Loki more, about how he understood the difficulties of being trapped on earth in a mortal form, but now was neither the time nor the place. First he had to get the Avengers to lower their weapons.

"I can sincerely assure you that he is no threat to you here, and that our father's curse to remove him of his magic will not fail. His powers will return to him when he is able to prove that he has learned human suffering, learned first hand what his destruction has caused... That is the kind of sentiment that moves our father... And if Loki can manage to please our father enough to regain his power, I am sure I can convince father to allow him to return home, to Asgard. This is no place for us."

Loki sighed slightly; the reminder that his powers would only return upon Odin's good judgement didn't dwell joyfully in his mind. Thor had simply fallen in love with the mortal woman and easily redeemed himself by defeating the Destroyer though Loki had no such chance.

Sighing, Steve lowered his shield, "It's no good, guys. Thor isn't going to budge on this, and it isn't right to attack a civilian- even if he was once our enemy."

Clint gave a derisive snort. "'Once our enemy', Cap? Are you going to act as though he isn't our enemy anymore?" He growled.

Natasha sighed, lowering her gun though she didn't holster it. Her free hand came to rest on Clint's shoulder. "Clint," she said softly, looking at him. He glanced up at her for a moment before finally allowing his aim to falter as he lowered the bow.

"Civilian? Yeah, sure, Capsicle. We're not going to let him go free like a 'civilian', are we?" Tony asked, mocking Steve.

"Stark," Steve more spat the name than said it, "Stand down. I'm not the enemy here, and for the time being, neither is Loki."

Steve opened his mouth to continue, but Thor cut in, "I don't expect you to treat him as your guest. Father will already be upset with me for interfering, I may as well stay and see it through. I will stay here on Midgard and look after my brother, and I will accept your punishment if he fails to see the errors in his ways and repent." Truth be told, Thor was saying this more for himself than anyone. If he were able to keep watch on Loki, he wouldn't be able to get in trouble- probably. Not without magic, at least. It was a weight off his mind, to say the least. Besides, he was not really needed in Asgard- his father was in good health, and he knew that he'd be hearing from Heimdall if anything went wrong and he was needed.

Loki groaned inwardly. Thor was going to stay here with him for the remainder of his punishment? He didn't even know how long it would last himself and he didn't want to have to live with Thor or even deal with him for that long.

"I agree with Thor- I say we leave the Asgardians to the Asgardians and go about our own business. If what Thor says is true, there's no need to pick a fight. As of this moment, Loki is a civilian, or, if you prefer, a criminal serving his sentence." The Captain said firmly, looking around for the support of his team.

Tony rolled his eyes, sighing slightly as he finally lowered his repulsors. "Well then, we'll, or rather I'll, be keeping an eye on him like any other criminal."

"A criminal," Loki chuckled, his gaze turning over to Steve. "Hopefully it will be over soon enough and we will never had to see each other again though, for some reason, I doubt that I am that lucky."

"I don't think we're lucky enough for that either but you'd better watch yourself for that time when we do meet and your brother isn't in the way to save your ass," Clint growled.

Loki flashed him a charming grin, unable to hold it back. "I hope that time may come soon," he purred sarcastically.

Natasha sighed, glancing at Clint. "This isn't the time," she mumbled quietly, looking pointedly at Thor before back to Clint. He shrugged, relaxing only slightly.

Thor flashed Natasha a look of great appreciation and bowed his head slightly as he said this. He was not entirely sure that everyone else would hold back if even just one of them started attacking, so this gesture was appreciated

"Well since you've already been here for awhile, Rock of Ages, I'm guessing you have somewhere to stay so that we don't have to support your ass too?" Tony asked.

"Thank you, my friends," The God of Thunder said sincerely, trying his best to push Stark's comments out of his mind. "I can assure you that you will not regret this decision.".

Loki rolled his eyes. "No, I just stole these expensive clothes from a store without getting caught and I took the keys that I have in my pocket too," he snapped sarcastically in reply to the billionaire.

"I can't tell if he's being serious. Is he being serious? It's hard to tell if anything that comes out of that mouth is true." Tony looked around to the Hulk for support, but the green beast didn't seem to have an answer for him.

Loki rolled his eyes, fishing the set of keys out of his pocket and showing them to Stark.

Not wanting to be outdone by Tony, Steve straightened up self-righteously, "Prove it." He commanded, his eyes locked on Loki's, "This punishment is to teach you respect for us? Then respect us. Kneel."

"Now you're speaking my language! Hit him with his own words!" Tony encouraged, coming to land beside Steve, "Kneel before those who wouldst spareth thy life!" He demanded, doing his best impression of Loki- which, it has to be said, was not a very good one.

Loki narrowed his eyes on Steve as the Avenger stepped forward and laughed harshly as soon as his words hit. "You can't truly expect that I would kneel for such beings as you," he chuckled.

Thor opened his mouth to protest, then closed it again. What they were saying was true, and Loki deserved his punishment, but... Even so, it pained him to even think that Loki might be forced to kneel before mere mortals. Rather than argue, however, he nodded to his brother, "You heard them, brother. You're in no position to resist them, so kneel. You are no threat to them."

Anger and hatred ran through Loki though as he heard Thor's own words. He knew those words were true but the very thought of kneeling for them fueled the flames already licking at his insides. But that was the only way to live wasn't it? If he didn't comply, they could kill him or worse, send him back to Asgard for a different punishment. His muscles tensed as he kept his defiant pose, even going so far as to tilt his chin up slightly as though he were looking down at them. "No."

Clint suddenly raised his bow again, aiming right into Loki's eye. "If you don't kneel, I will shoot you."

"And I won't hold him back," Natasha added, crossing her arms over her chest.

Loki fell silent, watching the two for a long time before glancing around at the rest of the team. There was no chance of escaping them, not in this situation. The only way to get out of it was...to kneel. They knew exactly how to get to him. Taking a deep breath, Loki clenched his jaw tightly, his gaze slowly falling to the ground beneath his feet. In one fluid motion, he was on one knee and staring at the ground, every muscle in his body still tense with his hatred for the action almost as much as for the ones he was kneeling before.

"What next? I'm torn between making him dance like a monkey and making him polish my boots," Tony wondered gleefully, lifting one of his metallic boots up for the other Avengers to give their opinions. "Or maybe a blow j-"

"I think we should use him for target practice," Clint added, glancing up at Stark

Thor, however, was less than amused, "I'd say that's quite enough," He announced, grabbing Loki by the arm and pulling him to his feet though Loki pulled out of his grip almost immediately upon his standing. "One act of submission should more than suffice."

"That wasn't nearly as long as he kept the citizens on the ground in Germany," Steve pointed out, "Not to mention all of the other wretched things he's done. Honestly, Thor, I think you're being too lenient."

"I'd thank you to remember that he is a god," Thor growled darkly, "An unruly one, perhaps, but a god nonetheless, and most importantly, he is my brother. I should think that a god kneeling before you should be enough to appease you."

"A god? Didn't you just say that he was as 'petty' as us?" Tony continued. "Also, let's refer back to the brother complex issue. If this were anyone else, you'd be standing in line with the rest of us to put the smackdown on this guy, but because he's your brother, you're going to let him off the hook that easily?" He asked, almost mockingly.

Thor didn't seem to like this much, either. Holding his Mjolnir up threateningly, he warned, "Do not mock me, Tony Stark."

Taking a few steps back, Loki glared harshly at Stark. "I would have you remember that though I may have lost my godly powers, I still have all of the knowledge that I have gained in my many years. I'm sure I could still manage to cause some damage," he snarled. "But now that the matter of my threat level has been attended to, I see no reason for me to remain here any longer," Loki said evenly, crossing his arms over his chest. "I also see no reason that I should be interrupted again during the only time that I can actually leave my home, so, if everyone is done bickering, I would like to return to my walk."

Thor turned his attention to Loki, quite tired of dealing with Stark for the time being, "I agree. There is no reason to prolong this... gathering."

Still fairly hesitant about just letting Loki walk away, Steve clarified, "You're certain you can handle him, Thor? It took all of us together to get him under control last time, remember."

Thor nodded slightly, "That was when he had his power. Without it, I should have no trouble looking after him. Please have some faith in me, my friends- I am your ally."

"More than that, you're one of us." Steve pointed out, "That's why I just want to make sure you're really going to be alright on your own. If and when Loki gets his power back, he won't be too pleased with any of us."

"The thought had crossed my mind," Thor confessed, "But I hope to clear up any misunderstandings before that time comes. He may be mischievous, but my brother is intelligent. I am certain we can come to some understanding."

There was a derisive snort from Loki as Thor spoke, narrowing his eyes slightly but saying nothing in return. Some part of him was satisfied that Steve was unsure about Thor's ability to handle him alone even if he didn't have his powers.

Tony was quiet for a moment, a true rarity for him before he sighed, looking to Thor. "The tower is close enough to where we could be there for you in seconds. You can also call me if you need anything, I'll have it sent your way or something," he said. "Otherwise, I've got some things to take care of back at the tower so, if that's everything..." He trailed off, glancing around at the team to make sure they were ready to go.

"Thank you, though it shouldn't be necessary." Thor assured Tony with a grin, "Though, if I'm to be around anyway, perhaps we could get together again some time on better terms for some Charmin."

"You mean Shawarma?" Steve corrected, "Count me out, last time we went I got sick for a week... But I'll probably hang around for a while just in case, so I'll see you around." With this, Captain America dismissed himself.

Tony, excited for a new thing to tease Steve about, abruptly followed, "Not so tough on the inside, are you, Cap? All that being frozen didn't do much for your guts, huh?" Naturally, knowing that he would have to be the one to break them up, the Hulk gave one last look to Thor and Loki before lumbering off after the squabbling teammates.

Natasha nodded slightly towards Thor. "Well good luck to you then. Keep him in line," she added, her gaze hardening on Loki for a moment before she started to back off a bit herself, waiting for the majority of the team to leave as well. Clint followed her lead though he was still watching Loki carefully.

Loki sighed inwardly as the team finally turned to leave, leaving him and Thor alone. His gaze slowly turned to Thor as he wondered just how long it would take to shake him off and get him to leave as he doubted the return of his powers would be any time soon. When the others were a safe distance away, Thor said, without turning to Loki, "You're welcome, by the way. You know, for saving you."

Loki rolled his eyes, walking around Thor and back down the path the way he had came. Even though this part of the park wasn't visited often, the gathering of the Avengers had still called for a bit of attention though nobody had neared them.

"Thank you, almighty Thor, for saving my meager mortal life," he growled sarcastically without looking back at Thor. "It would have-" He cut himself short, deciding against the statement as he continued walking. Why was it that every time he managed to have some kind of peace somebody had to ruin it? Hopefully Thor would change his mind and not follow him back to his apartment.

"It would have what?" Thor pressed, trailing closely behind Loki, "It would have been better if I'd just let them kill you? Loki!" Grabbing his brother's wrist to stop him, Thor finally admitted, "I don't understand why you're doing this."

"Yes, it would have been easier," Loki snarled in reply, narrowing his eyes on Thor.

The Thunderer was quiet for a moment, trying to think of the right words to say, before he went on, "I am sorry if you thought father treated you unfairly, but you should know that I've never seen you as anything less than my dear brother- I cannot help what father thought or felt of you, nor can I change the past, but I can say this; whatever it is you have against father is between the two of you, and I wish you would not hold that against me."

Releasing Loki's wrist, he finished, "Please, brother, just tell me what it is that's making you act this way... Would you not, at least, give me that much? Or does our past, our childhood, everything truly mean nothing to you as everyone keeps telling me?"

"You only care to notice everything that you and your father did wrong after I've been torn and broken. You didn't have enough sense to notice it before, Thor. Why should I suddenly give you a chance to make up for everything? It wasn't just Odin. Besides, why would you ever want to make everything right again? Just so that you can feel better about it? That you somehow managed to fix whatever relationship we have? Or maybe it's for everybody else. You only act to care so that you may have others see you as my tamer. 'Oh look! There's the almighty Thor. He even managed to get that little brother of his in line.'

"Well let's get this straight, I am not your brother Thor. I am one of a monstrous race and you are the golden prince of Asgard," Loki snarled. "And there are far too many things that caused me to act this way, most of which you wouldn't even begin to understand."

"King," Thor corrected, "Father has stepped down from the throne and made me king of Asgard." Clearly he failed to understand that this would not help Loki's ego in the slightest.

Loki laughed again. "He would make you king right after my downfall and just before he takes my powers and magic so I simply fall even lower than before," he cut in with a growl though Thor continued talking.

"Why would I want to make everything right? It's true, it might make me look good, but that is far from the reason. Truth be told, I need you, brother. Why do you think I listened to a word you had to say that day, the day you got me banished from Asgard? Even though all you ever did was lie and deceive, why do you think I listened to you? Because," Thor took a step closer, "Because you are my brother, and I value your opinion. We've always been contrasting elements. You call me almighty in jest, and I can fully admit to you that it is a lie. I fight with brute strength and pride, you with intelligence and I am now king, I still ask father's opinion before making any calls of my own because I can accept that poor judgement sometimes gets the better of me- but with you by my side, Loki, Asgard would be an unshakable force! Don't you see that?"

Circling around his brother like a shark around his prey, he went on, "I care not for your parentage- yes, father told me how you came to be a member of our family, but that does not change the fact that we were raised together. You are no monster, Loki, even if I am the only one who can see that; you're still the brother I know and love... Perhaps I cannot understand what you're going through right now, but that's mostly because you won't teach me. What changed, brother? Why can't you learn to forgive? If not father, at least me?"

Thor was still a horrible liar which only led Loki to believe that he meant what he said which didn't make him comfortable at all. He tensed as soon as Thor made it to where he was standing behind him, causing him to whip around immediately. Clenching his jaw, he fell silent for a long moment as he watched Thor, unsure of what to say. "Because you don't understand," he said quietly, turning on his heel and walking towards his apartment again. Maybe Thor would drop the subject or at least allow their talk to cease until they made it somewhere private.

Though tact was not one of Thor's strong points, even he knew when it was time to drop a sore subject... At least for now, he would respect his brother's wishes, though he hoped he had at least made some small bit of progress. After following Loki quietly for a few minutes, Thor grew quite bored of the silence and decided to try his hand at small talk. "So have you found an Earth job yet? I must confess, I did not have such struggles during my time here- it was so short-lived, and I met such generous people that I did not have a need for one. What do they have you doing?"

Loki sighed as soon as Thor began talking but didn't interrupt him. Thor was never able to go more than a few minutes without silence if he could attempt to fill it with small conversation.

Deciding he should probably clarify, he added, "When Heimdall mentioned that my friends were closing in on you, it was the first time I'd heard your name since we returned to Asgard. Until then, I'd honestly believed that you were in a prison somewhere in Asgard... That's not to say I never asked how you were fairing." Realizing that he was rambling, he stopped himself and looked to the sky, still keeping Loki in his peripherals so he could follow, of course.

He was surprised that Thor hadn't known he was on Midgard as he had guessed Thor would have immediately demanded to know his location. "I have managed to establish a job and life here however, if you must know. It may not necessarily be grand but it's enough to get by with," Loki replied. "I also don't have to deal with Midgardian contact often except over the phone or internet. So, living here is far more acceptable than any cell though the lack of magic is fairing hard for me," he admitted.

They exited the park then, walking out onto the sidewalks that ran beside the busy streets. Loki glanced back at Thor and realized that he was far too recognizable and...still in his Asgardian armour. He rolled his eyes, putting a bit more distance between them though Thor hardly seemed to notice, as he was far too busy basking in the glory of being the center of attention. Of course his armor drew the eyes of nearly every passerby, and some even seemed to remember him, though he suspected they remembered his appearance more than his name, as they called him 'that guy that was on the news a few months back,' but he didn't seem to mind it. He flashed a smile at a few of the finer women and waved to the children who dared wave back, but for the most part, everyone kept their distance. They seemed to know what the 'hammer' he carried was capable of. Loki was glad for his thought to put more distance between Thor and himself as the thunder god was only attracting more attention as they went on. Few people looked at him though he wasn't taking any chances.

Thinking little of it, Thor continued the conversation, "Yes, it is difficult being powerless," He agreed, "I suppose it's easier for these mortals; having never known true power, there is nothing for them to miss... They simply go about their lives in peaceful ignorance."

"Yes, it has to be easy on them," Loki mumbled in agreement.

Glancing back to Loki, he wondered curiously, but with a playful, teasing air, "So tell me, brother, have you fallen prey to love with a mortal yet?"

Loki chuckled, raising a brow as he flashed a lopsided grin back at Thor. "Me? Fall in love with a mortal? No, that's your thing, Thor, far from mine," he replied teasingly before he sighed. "Besides, if any were to actually be committed to it, there are far too many ordeals of mine that would scare them away. It's harsh finding love in a world that you tried to dominate," Loki replied, taking on the teasing air again. "Well, not that I've tried but it's definitely not a focus of mine at the moment."

"If your goal is to regain your power, then perhaps you should try," Thor said pointedly, "After all, what you've been doing here obviously isn't working, is it? You know the kind of sentiments that move our father- if you simply pick up and start over as a mortal, he will presume you to be happy the way things are and leave you to die here."

Though most might find this an awkward conversation, especially given the circumstances and location, Thor, as previously stated, was never a god of tact. "You have been sent here to learn human suffering- at least, that is my best guess as to what father is trying to do here- and part of that is the pain of love. Unrequited love, love lost, love that can never be... These are all things mortals suffer through and endure. As gods, we don't have that problem quite as much, provided it's another god we fall in love with, but..." He sighed softly, thinking of Jane, "But I think everyone experiences it at some point, even gods."

Loki sighed, glancing back at Thor again. "Thor, there are things I would like to take care of before I take somebody as my partner and I cannot do those things without my magic but I can't fall in love without those things being done; I wouldn't drag somebody into my own problems but being what is needed, I am in a predicament and...stuck.

"Besides, Thor, there are other things that you wouldn't understand, that I can't explain now, that make it particularly hard. And even if it were to happen..." He allowed himself to trail off, shaking his head. He was glad to see that his apartment building had come into sight though it was still a bit further down the street. "Needless to say, it just isn't really a possibility."

Thor didn't take too well to this, and snapped, "Like what, brother? What is it you have to do so desperately and cannot because your powers have been taken from you? Kill me to soothe whatever it is that spurns your hatred of me?"

"You're right- I don't understand, because you won't tell me! What have I done to wrong you? Even now, you're still so distant, I can't tell what you're thinking." Thor heaved a sigh, still trailing behind Loki, though he had fallen back quite a bit. He was beginning to question himself, if he was really doing the right thing here. Perhaps Loki was beyond reason, perhaps it really might be better to leave him to the Avengers to do as they pleased...

But then... Finally, something had fallen into place. When Loki had looked at him, he'd noticed something off, but hadn't been able to place it, but now- "Are you not sleeping enough? You look unwell..." The bags under Loki's eyes were undeniably prominent, and to the best of Thor's knowledge, sleep deprivation was the only cause of that.

Loki growled, turning to look back at Thor. "You took that the wrong way, Thor, because you wouldn't allow me a moment longer to speak!" He snapped. "However, this should answer both of your questions. I need my powers to kill the source of the night terrors that still plague me in my sleep and if you must know, it surprisingly has nothing to do with you," he snarled.

He sighed, rubbing his eyes a bit. "So no, I'm not sleeping enough," he said in a more even tone. Loki hadn't realized just how obvious the dark circles under his eyes were to other beings as he had grown somewhat accustomed to them. It irritated him just how much he allowed to slip from his lips before he could hold it back. He didn't need Thor asking any more questions but he knew it was highly likely the thunder god would continue to question him until he was satisfied with the answers.

"Then perhaps I can help you," Thor offered after a few moments of thoughtful silence. He realized that Loki could quite literally be talking about anyone or anything, but... he did genuinely want to help his brother, and it was possible that if they worked together for a common goal, Loki would have a change of heart about... everything, and try to repent. A slim chance, perhaps, but for Loki, Thor was willing to grasp at straws.

"You say it like it's so complicated, but it's actually quite simple, is it not? All we have to do is crush the source of your troubled, then, with a rested mind, you may finally be able to move on. So what is it that causes you so much trouble, brother?" No longer feeling that all was lost, the king easily caught up with Loki to walk beside him once more.

"No, it isn't 'quite simple' Thor. If it were simple I would have taken care of it myself by now. It's so horribly complicated and," Loki paused, chuckling humorlessly. "and that one mistake of letting go...The consequences will affect me for the rest of my life, Thor."

Loki hated talking or even thinking about it but he truly wanted out and no matter how much he hated it, Thor might be his only chance to get out of it. "Do you realize, Thor, that even during the trial, I wasn't allowed to speak? They kept the muzzle on my face the whole time and didn't even allow me to try and defend myself. They assumed everything was automatically my fault and didn't allow me to try and say otherwise." His gaze rose up to look at Thor as he fell in place beside him just as they neared the apartment building.

Thor refused to meet his brother's gaze, though it seemed like the first time they were having any sort of meaningful conversation since- well, since before Loki fell from the bridge. "That's why I chose not to attend," He confessed, "I knew a fair trial was not to be expected... Had I gone, it would only have caused unrest."

Finally meeting Loki's eyes, he added, "I'm sure that not everything they said was wrong, however. You have made some poor choices, brother, and this is a rather fitting punishment. Throwing you in a cage wouldn't do anyone any good, at least this way you can gain something from the experience." Deciding that he'd gone a bit off of the original topic, he backtracked and added, "Letting go... are you referring to your fall from the bridge?" He asked for clarification, "What consequences? What happened to you after that?"

Loki growled slightly. "You're not much better than the rest of them. Yes, everything before I fell off the bridge was done by choice but everything afterwards wasn't Thor," he retorted. "Not really."

"Yes, I am referring to that and you've no idea how much I actually regret making that decision; now I have myself stuck in this," he said as he pushed the door open and walked inside towards the elevator that would take him up to the 5th floor. "I'll...I'd rather explain once we get inside my dwelling if you don't mind," he said, glancing up at Thor as he walked into the elevator.

Satisfied that Loki had,at least, agreed to explain himself, Thor followed his brother into the elevator. With any luck, Heimdall was still watching over them, and, if Loki was being honest for once in his life, perhaps they could use whatever it was he had to say about this to convince their father to give him another chance.


	2. Chapter 2

Once inside the elevator, Thor remarked casually, "Tony Stark has many of these contraptions. I imagine it must be hard getting around in such massive structures without the ability to fly."

Loki rolled his eyes slightly. "You get used to it after awhile," he replied as the elevator door slid closed and the elevator slowly started on its way up. He sighed slightly, leaning against the wall and resting his head on the cold metal for a moment, allowing his eyes to close as he waited for the doors to open to his floor.

"Well, not that I could fly in the first place without shapeshifting," he mumbled, his eyes slowly opening to stare at the wall opposite of him. The elevator gave a short, high-pitched sound before the doors slid open again to reveal the fifth floor. Loki pushed himself off of the wall and led Thor out into the brightly lit hallway, turning down the left corridor.

"You still had the option," Thor pointed out before following Loki down the hall. It rather reminded him of a maze, and was quite grateful that Loki knew where he was going, as he feared he might get lost on his own. He would have to make some sort of landmarks, in case they were ever to be separated. It was a bit strange to him, going from living on his father's massive estate to being inside a building nearly as large, but only really owning a few rooms, as he was certain was the case. It was likely much like the building he had stayed in with Jane, when he first taught her about the realms... Pushing all thoughts of her to the back of his mind, he heaved a sigh. He would probably never see her again, though he was in Midgard, as promised... He understood that it was never really meant to be. His father had helped him come to terms with that.

Loki shrugged, chuckling lightly. "Yeah, I guess I still had the option," he mumbled as he took a right at the end of the hallway before stopping in front of the second door on the right; it read 514. He grabbed the ring of keys out of his pocket before unlocking the door and pushing it open.

"It isn't grand but it isn't absurd," he said, sitting down in the corner of the suede couch. "There's my room and then a guest bedroom as well as the bathrooms and the living-room and such." He sat back against the large cushion and looked up at Thor expectantly.

Thor was quite impressed by the size of the place- though he couldn't begin to fathom what Loki would need a guest bedroom for. Smiling to his brother, he complimented, "You really are doing quite well for yourself here, brother." He strode across the room, taking his time to admire his surroundings, before eventually settling on a chair.

Loki chuckled slightly. "Mm, thank you. I wouldn't have been able to afford much more at the time but this is far more suitable for me anyway. Plus, everything is just down the street," he added nonchalantly.

Serious once more, Thor asked, "So? Tell me, what is it that's got you so upset you're losing sleep. What happened when you fell?" Of course he was curious, but more than that, he was genuinely concerned. After all, he still saw Loki as his brother, even if Loki had lost touch with that sentiment. Perhaps, one day, they could return to the way things were, but for now, he needed to figure out what was causing so much turmoil.

He sighed slightly as Thor quickly brought of the former subject but he hadn't expected anything less of him. Stretching out a bit on the couch, Loki laid his head on the armrest of it and looked over at Thor. "After I fell... Well, I actually was falling for a while, a few days at least through that darkness; I'm not sure the exact amount of time. Just that in itself is one issue but it's smaller than the others. When I finally landed on something stable, it was nothing more than a barren wasteland of a planet but there was a species that inhabited it; the Chitauri. I actually fell unconscious soon after arriving there and when I woke, I was in a different place entirely, a ship which I later determined to be that of the Chitauri's as well. Their general, the Other, thought that they might find some use in me so he brought me to his...master.

He fell silent for a moment, his gaze falling to the floor. "His master was, and still is, Thanos, Thor. He tortured me until I was weak enough to comply with his terms. I was to retrieve the Tesseract for him and return or else there would be even more consequences which is, undoubtedly, more torture, and eventually death. Everytime I try to sleep I'm plagued with night terrors of my time there."

"Thanos?" That name was familiar enough to ring a few bells. He'd heard of the mighty villain several times in old war stories and legends, but he had mostly blown them off. There was simply no way a being that powerful could exist! Still, try as he might to find any evidence of untruth in Loki's expression Thor could find none. Still, one thing was not sitting quite right with him. "Why has he not returned?" He wondered aloud, "If it's true that he demanded you bring him the Tesseract, lest you face fate worse than death, why has he not come to Midgard for you?" Considering this, he smirked, "Could it be that he actually fears the Avengers?"

Loki sighed. "I cannot answer your questions with full knowledge but only my own thoughts about the situation. He's biding his time I guess, healing a bit before he attacks. I think he's also replanning his strategies because he hadn't known that they were so strong until they defeated me. I highly doubt that he holds any kind of fear for him though."

He fell silent for a moment, watching Thor. "And if you honestly don't believe me, I can offer proof, Thor. Ever since I lost my powers, I heal far slower than before so I still have some of the...scars because they've yet to heal. As for why he hasn't come back for me yet...Well, I don't know. He could come any day now for me," he added, a slight bit of fear edging into his voice before he managed to cover it.

Thinking about this, Thor looked Loki over. His brother was strong- he knew that. When at his full potential, he could take whatever he wanted by force- as Steve had said, it had taken all of the Avengers working together to get him into a state of submission... If Thanos had been able to do that on his own, he must have been far more powerful than he had imagined. Which meant only one thing, to Thor. "Fight power with power." He mumbled, getting to his feet as he began to pace about the room.

"If he's really as strong as you say, the Avengers alone won't be enough. We'll need an army, not just a few rogue soldiers..." He paused in his pacing, turning to Loki, "That starts with you. We'll need you to get your power back, and summon all of our finest warriors from Asgard and Midgard combined..." Then it hit him- that was exactly the sort of problem Loki was talking about. Falling back onto the chair, he confessed, "I can see how you might feel trapped."

Loki nodded slightly, glad that it hadn't taken Thor long to reach the conclusion he had. "That's because I refuse to bring anybody else into my problems. Thanos would undoubtedly try and hurt them before me simply to injure me more as he has some kind of fascination with the fact that I have escaped him for the time being.

"Even if I were to turn myself over to him, it wouldn't matter because he would still attack Midgard and Asgard would likely follow afterwards," he shrugged and exhaled heavily. "I'm glad to say I'm not fully helpless though, I didn't mention anything before because I don't need the Avengers knowing that I still pose a threat. What I do have doesn't stand a chance against him though because even at my full power..." He shook his head allowed his sentence to trail off. "I just don't know."

Thor was a bit surprised to hear that Loki was not as completely defenseless as he had thought, but knew better than to question it. It didn't matter what power Loki currently had, all that mattered was returning him to his full strength. Instead, he encouraged, "On your own, perhaps... But not with me- with us! If there is a threat to Midgard, you can bet that the Avengers will want to get involved, all that remains is to convince them that Thanos is a common enemy..."

Looking over to his brother, Thor wondered, "Why did you not tell me about this sooner? You had several opportunities between the time the war for Midgard began and the time you were taken from me in Asgard."

Loki fell silent, watching Thor for a long while before he spoke up. "Thanos threatened to kill you if I spoke a word of it to you during my time here on Midgard. He was watching my every move so I had to be as convincing as possible.

"And without me at my full power Thor, I doubt that the Avengers would be able to take him down. He won't be alone, Thor. There are still many Chitauri that he didn't send on my earlier attempt to take Midgard. He'll just kill them or make them retreat if we try to take him on alone, you have to understand that. " He stretched out on the couch more, rolling over to lay on his back as he stared up at the ceiling.

This confession came as quite a shock to Thor, who had been questioning whether Loki had completely thrown away all of their former connections. To think that his life meant enough for Loki to spare... Of course Loki knew that Heimdall would have heard their conversation, that there still would have been war against Thanos in retribution, but even so... "I do not doubt you, brother," He said finally, easing himself back against the chair, "As Steve said earlier, it took all of the Avengers working together to force you into submission before, if he was able to do so on his own, taking him on on our own would just be suicide."

Still, Thor refused to despair, "Which is why we need to get your power back before he decides to show up looking for you. What have you tried so far to win father's favor? What hasn't worked? What is there still left to try? Don't just roll over and give up now, after all that's happened, you finally have your chance to make things right, brother, and it's not in your nature to submit."

Loki shrugged. "Well you have to put it this way, Thor. He had me for a long amount and time and used various...things to get to me. It took a long time before I finally gave up and allowed him to do as he pleased," he said, catching onto a different word. "Suicide," he repeated, glancing at Thor out of his peripheral vision. "If that would've just worked in the first place we wouldn't have to be worrying about this problem. Otherwise, I haven't done anything, Thor. I know not how to win his favor. You fell in love with your mortal but that is not an option for me. You lost your arrogance, well most of it," he added, "and regretted what you had done. I do regret what I did to Midgard but I also know that the few that died here in New York was far better than the whole realm ceasing to survive," he said. "I'm not sure what else to try."

"So what, then, are you just waiting for death to come?" Thor demanded, getting to his feet once more and grabbing Loki by the collar, pulling him up so they were eye to eye, "Who are you and what have you done with my brother?! Where is the Loki I knew, who laughed in the face of death, only to slip right out of her grasp at the last moment? We're here, brother, THIS is the last moment- where are your tricks? Why do you lie like a log waiting for the blow of an ax?"

Loki shook his head, growling slightly as Thor pulled him up to his feet once again. "My tricks? Thor I had my magic, my power. I had hope in those moments Thor, and I felt that I had people that would stand behind me should I need them! I have none now. I cannot win against Thanos without my magic. I'm not waiting for the blow of the ax! I've already been shredded into pieces! Why do you not understand that?!"

Finally releasing his grip on Loki, though he made no effort to back off, he went on, "You say you know not how to win father's favor, yet in the same breath, you deny wanting to accept the answer! Regret, Loki, that is what he wants. He wants you to see what you have done and repent, to swear sincerely that you will never do anything of the sort again. I wasn't even present at your trial nor banishment and I know this!" Unfortunately, Thor had no idea how to even begin to teach the lesson of regret, and the way he had learned it, he would not wish upon his brother. "You said once that you remembered a shadow, living in my shadow growing up... So step outside it and forge your own path... Is there nothing, in this world or in Asgard, that is worth your pride? Worth living for?"

"You obviously cannot get it through your mind. I just told you I regret what I did! I cannot sincerely swear I will never do anything like this again because I don't have that kind of certainty anymore!" Loki fell quiet, still glaring up at Thor. "I don't know what I live for Thor. I guess I..."I guess I still have hope. He sighed, looking away from the thunder god then.

Apparently not picking up on the fact that Loki was having a hard time voicing his thoughts, Thor demanded, "You what? What do you guess?"

"I guess I still have hope, Thor. I guess there's some part of me that feels like I need to save the realms from the same pain that was inflicted so deeply into me. I'm not ready to die but..." Loki took a deep breath. "I'm just so tired, Thor," he said, allowing all of his stress and fear to show in his tone.

With an annoyed sigh, Thor grabbed Loki's face roughly and turned it to face his own, "You understand, probably better than I do, the severity of this situation. Tell me you want this, you want to live, or I will simply be forced to let Thanos have you while I assemble an army of my own to defend at least Asgard." Naturally, he knew that he would never find enough soldiers to replace Loki, but... He would have to try if his brother refused to cooperate. If Loki had given up on life itself, there was no point in trying to intervene.

"I do regret it Thor but I have no idea how I'm supposed to show that to Odin. I don't even know why he still has hope that I can somehow manage to pull through this. It just seems hopeless without my magic. You don't understand that Thor," Loki growled. "Magic is more than just an art, it's something you're born with and when you've developed it and you've spent so much of your time working on it and then it's suddenly ripped away from you because of something you didn't do, it hurts; physically and mentally.

"Magic is the only thing I really strived in Thor. You had your strength and I had my magic, yes my intelligence as well but we aren't battling with intelligence, we're using our power."

"There is strategy in every war," Thor said quietly, letting his hands fall heavily onto Loki's shoulders, "And as long as you have hope, there is a way to get your magic back, just as I was able to get my strength back... and I do know what it's like, brother. You forget that I was once in a similar position, without my strength, the strength I had been born with, had trained so hard to build up... To have that stripped away and be banished by my own father- yes, I know what it's like, but you must overcome that despair."

Finally, Thor took a step back and inhaled deeply, trying to think. "And while I cannot speak for Father, I presume that, on some level, he feels the same way I do. We've been with you since you were an infant- blood or not, you are family, and as family, we have faith in you. At least I can say that much is true for me. You were never one to surrender with odds stacked against you, and you always managed to come through in the end, then..." He hesitated a bit before adding, "I know this may not come as much of a comfort to you, considering your dislike of me, but... At least know that this time, you are not fighting alone."

Loki took a deep breath, falling silent for a long moment as his gaze drifted to the floor. There was no way he was going to be able to live if he was simply going to stress over the situation he was caught in. There had to be some way to get out of this, like always, some way. He nodded slightly, his gaze rising back to look at Thor. "Maybe there's something else Odin wants though too. I just don't feel like that's everything," he mumbled.

He pulled back from Thor slightly, turning and pacing a bit. "If I can just get my magic back, we do stand a chance against Thanos. Now just to figure out exactly what it is," he mumbled. "I doubt that it's something like forgiving him simply because Odin wouldn't center it around himself, he would center it around someone or something else."

Glad to see his old brother back, Thor was more than happy to help him brainstorm. "There are people aside from Father himself that you resent, are there not?" He pointed out, trying to phrase it so that he wasn't just talking about himself.

Loki sighed, shrugging slightly. "There's nobody else that I resent that he would be worried about I believe. It's only really you and him that are even relevant to this subject but you're right; it's not likely my resentment that he is centering around."

Quickly changing the subject off of himself, Thor went on, "But it might not be forgiveness, either. In that moment, when my Mjolnir returned to me, I felt, more than anything, shame. I was ashamed of my actions that brought me to where I was, ashamed that my friends had to come and rescue me, and, most of all, ashamed that I had let down not only my friends and the people of Midgard, but my family as well, because I knew that if I were to die there, I would not be the only one I was failing."

After a moment of consideration, he added, "Not to mention, I felt my heart was breaking. Not only had I endangered Jane, but I had sincerely believed that you would have spared me. I did not know what I had done that caused you to harbor such hatred for me."

"Shame for my actions...I'm guessing that involves everything before as well: having you sent to Midgard in the first place and then sending the Destroyer after you, as well as trying to destroy Jotunheim and maybe...likely killing Laufey as well. And then letting go of course because I didn't want to deal with the shame of it then and just wanted to escape it," Loki mumbled.

He suddenly looked up at Thor again, thinking about what he had said. "How do you not hate me, Thor? After everything I've done and everything that has happened, how can you even think of still calling me your brother? I just don't understand that."

Smiling a bit sadly, Thor replied, "That's the difference between you and I. To me, family is family, and I'll always cherish the memories we share, while you seem to be able to whisk them away at will. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, everyone craves power- who am I to cast you aside for that?" Returning to his place on the chair, he went on, "Don't you remember the root of the problem, why I was banished in the first place? Because I craved power. I wanted to force father to let me have the throne for my own glory, to destroy the Frost Giants and gain even more power. Did you not accomplish the exact thing I was aiming for? You were simply more successful."

Loki chuckled harshly, shaking his head. "Maybe I was more successful but look where it's got me now, Thor. It's even worse now than it was before when you were sent to Midgard," he sighed as he sat back heavily on the couch, placing his head in his hands. "Besides, it wasn't really even power that I craved. While you were gone, do you think it had been my plan to cast Odin aside and take the throne? No, it wasn't. It was an accident that he fell into his sleep at that time. I had just..." Loki rolled his eyes, sitting back against the cushion and letting his hands fall into his lap. "I'm not even sure anymore." He didn't want to respond to Thor's first few statements. He couldn't just allow Thor back into his life after the former show of everything. It wasn't that easy and it never would be.

Thor was not entirely sure he believed this. Leaning forward, he asked, "If not power, what then? If it was not power you were thinking of when you came to fill my head with lies of father's death, and, indeed, when you sent that Destroyer to slay me, what, then, were you thinking of? Did you not long to get me out of your way, to secure your spot on the throne?"

"I don't know what I was thinking when I sent the Destroyer after you, Thor. I know now that I shouldn't have. I didn't want to kill you, believe me when I say that. Maybe I guessed that was how to get your power back; you did get your powers and Mjolnir back when you were fighting it," Loki said, though his gaze was on his hands in his lap. "I told you before, I only wanted to be your equal. I didn't want to be the second prince, or 'Thor's little brother.'"

After a moment of consideration, Thor's own words began to sink in a bit, spurning his curiosity. "Tell me why, brother," He said in a tone far more confused and pained than demanding, "Why do you loathe me so? What have I done to wrong you? You know I never meant to make you feel inferior..."

"Maybe you didn't mean to, Thor, but you never noticed either, did you? I think that's what it is. I feel like I'm beneath your notice because you never seemed to care before and now you're probably only here because you know that I am needed to help you defeat an enemy that would destroy the realms," Loki growled slightly though his voice didn't have as much of the usual bite of venom in it.

"I came here before I knew any of that," Thor pointed out, "I came down to Midgard because I heard from Heimdall that you were in danger. I didn't know any of this before you told me; I presume Thanos is beyond even Heimdall's sight."

"I think it was because you were scared that your friends would be injured in a battle with me if you weren't present," Loki growled. "Thanos is beyond Heimdall's sight. If Heimdall was able to see him, you would have known that I was still alive the entire time. Did you even think of searching for me, Thor? Did you? You probably wrote me off as dead the moment I let go without giving it a second though."

Though he was not entirely sure he believed that Loki had not intended to kill him before, Thor refrained from dwelling on that. Whatever it had been seemed to have passed- they were having a far more normal conversation than he could have imagined them ever having again in that moment. "I am truly sorry, brother... but you are right. I was arrogant and foolish, and I should have paid you more mind. I was so intent on making myself stronger that I was oblivious to how it might affect you... I suppose that, because you never openly complained about your treatment, that you were fine... But I see now that I should have been there for you more. I have not been the best brother to you, and I truly do regret that more than anything... I was told that you had lost your power- how would I think you could do them any harm? Most of them can hardly be considered average mortals, anyway, I knew they could hold their own. I was concerned that I might lose you, again- I wanted to look for you, but what was I to do? Jump in after you to certain death? You may not believe me, but I mourned for you every day you were gone." Thor said quietly, eventually lowering his gaze. Of course he had thought Loki to be dead- was that not his intention in the first place?

Loki fell silent, watching Thor for a long moment before he spoke again. "It was fine before in our younger years. When I would have night terrors you were always there to comfort me. Do you remember what was usually the subject of them Thor? It was the Jotnar. I probably should have noticed everything far before I found out on our trip to Jotunheim. I should have noticed I was different; I don't even look near the same with my dark hair and pale skin. We're exact opposites, Thor, did you ever think of that? Maybe that's why we aren't compatible, even as brothers, maybe that's why it hasn't worked," he said, keeping his voice emotionless, his gaze falling from Thor back to the floor.

Deciding that he had had quite enough of this conversation, he got to his feet, "Never mind all that now, this talk is exhausting on an already long day. Let us retire for now, and try tomorrow to come up with some plan of action."

Loki sighed and shrugged, adding on, "I expected something, Thor, anything," he growled, his gaze rising to look at the thunder god. "Maybe that was asking too much," he mumbled quietly

before looking down again and shaking his head. He looked up at Thor again when he rose from his chair, nodding slightly. Reaching over, he grabbed the television remote from the coffee table and turned the television on. "Sleep well, Thor," he said quietly, glancing up at him before sitting and pulling his knees up to his chest, resting his chin on them.

Though he had been intending to leave it there, at least for the night, Loki's words bothered Thor far too much, and he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep with them weighing on his mind. Instead, he grabbed the remote from Loki, and, after fumbling with it for a bit, managed to turn the television off. "Expected what?" He asked, "What more do you want me to say? If I throw any more apologies at you, the words will start to lose their meaning, I've tried explaining myself to you, but you don't seem particularly keen on believing a word I say, in spite of the fact that I am not one who is known for his lies. What more do you want from me, brother? You speak as if I am unwilling, but I seem to be the only one of the two of us that is at all interested in mending our relationship!" Trying to calm himself with a deep breath, he repeated, "Tell me, what is it you want me to say? What do you want to hear from me?"

Thor's words sent a pang of anger through him as he let his legs unfold, glaring up at the thunder god. "What did I expect Thor?" He snarled. "You honestly want to know? Okay, fine!

"I guess I had some idea, some faint hope that you would save me, Thor! When I screamed your name through the pain and hallucinations I was being dealt, I had some hope, some idea that you would save me as you always did when I needed you! That you would come flying in and smash everything with your hammer simply because you knew they had hurt me and that I needed you! Even after that, when I arrived on Midgard, I hoped you would notice but you didn't! I limped with each step I took, I had dark circles under my eyes as I do now, and I was sickly pale but you noticed none of that! I hoped you would notice but you didn't," he snarled, blinking back the slight sting of tears that had started in his eyes. "I guess I just wanted you to say that you were here for me and I wanted myself to believe that but I can't," he continued.

It took a moment for Loki's words to really take effect, but once they did, Thor felt absolutely horrible. "It would have been a lie," He confessed, "At that time, although I was glad to see you, I knew only that you had to be stopped. Had I known then what I do now, I..." Taking a cautious step toward Loki, he said again, "I am sorry brother... But I'm here now. And we will destroy Thanos and his minions, and return to Asgard victorious, together. This time... I won't leave without you, I swear it." Smiling gently, he brought a hand to rest on Loki's shoulder, looking him in the eye as he said sincerely, "I know this may be coming too little, too late, but... I will pay more attention to you from now on, prevent anything like this from ever happening again, to the best of my abilities, I vow it..."

"You just aren't very observant and I should know that," Loki sighed, shrugging slightly. Relaxing back into the couch, he looked up at Thor, watching him for a moment before speaking once again. "Okay, Thor," he said, nodding slightly. "That will have to work for now but it's...appreciated," he said with a small smile, his gaze falling to the hand on his shoulder though he didn't shrug it off or try to move away. He grabbed the remote again but he didn't turn the television on yet, waiting for Thor to decide what he was doing before he did. "Oh, do you actually need me to show you where everything is first or...?" He questioned slowly.

"That would be helpful, yes," Thor admitted, lowering his hand to offer to help Loki up. "Thank you for talking with me like this, brother. I know it is not usually in your nature to want to discuss such things, but... I do want to help you, to be the brother you deserve." It might have sounded strange to most people, saying Loki deserved a better brother after all he had done, but... In Thor's eyes, most of it was justified. Besides that, if he and Loki could overcome their differences, perhaps his brother would have less reason to act out and cause trouble.

Loki nodded slightly, taking Thor's hand after a moment and allowing himself to be pulled up. "It's admittedly easier than never saying anything," he said, turning slightly and walking down the hallway. "My bedroom is the one on the left, the guest room is here on the right and the guest bathroom is at the end of the hall," he said, nodding towards each room in turn. "The kitchen is on the other side of the living-room which is where I will be should you need me."

He turned back to Thor, raising a brow slightly as he looked at him. "Is there anything else you need for the night?" Loki asked a bit tiredly. "I don't have anything planned for tomorrow so we'll figure that out then," he mumbled.

Thor frowned a bit, concerned, "You should at least try to get some rest, brother. Some sleep is better than none at all..." Thinking on it, he decided, "I could sleep in your room. That way I can wake you if you grow restless. You never have been particularly quiet when you have unpleasant dreams, I'm sure I will hear you if I'm near you." Smiling once more, he clapped Loki on the shoulder, careful not to be too rough, "It'll be just like old times. Besides, you need to be rested if you intend to get anything done."

Loki fell silent, raising a brow at Thor's suggestion. The thought of sleeping with Thor in the room wasn't terribly attractive but the thought of actually getting some rest made it not seem as bad. He sighed, running a hand through his hair and shrugging slightly. "I...okay, fine, but, if it doesn't work, it's not happening again," he said a bit sternly before turning and opening the door to his room.

Flicking the light on, he glanced around the master bedroom rather boredly. One wall was filled with a large bookshelf, holding multiple books; in front of him, the dresser jutted out from the wall while across from it was his large bed, covered with a thick green comforter. His gaze flicked to the wall across from him, scanning over his desk and making sure he had turned his laptop off. He turned back to Thor then, looking him up and down. "I'm guessing you don't have anything to wear other than your Asgardian attire?" He questioned.

"I was in a bit of a rush when I left," Thor confessed, glancing down at his armor. Of course he hadn't had any time to pack, because as soon as he had heard that Loki was in danger, he'd reacted without thinking. Still, he didn't suppose he would fit in Loki's clothing, as he was a bit larger than his brother, so he suggested, "We can concern ourselves with that in the morning, unless you have some clothing that is too big for you that I might borrow." Either way, he knew that sleeping in his armor wasn't really an option. It would be uncomfortable at best, and probably damage the bed, so he began to work at removing it.

Loki chuckled, rolling his eyes slightly. "I think I might have something," he mumbled, walking over to the dresser and pulling open two of the wooden drawers. He rummaged through them for a second, disturbing the folded clothes before he finally pulled out a pair of thin cotton pants. "I accidentally bought the wrong size," he said, tossing them at Thor.

He grabbed a pair of more comfortable pants for himself and walked into the master bathroom. Shrugging off his coat and scarf, he changed out his pants and glanced at the black shirt he had been wearing underneath. It was a moment later when he pulled that off too, tossing the clothes in the hamper and hanging his coat on the hook on the back of the bathroom door. He waited a moment longer, making sure he wouldn't be walking in on Thor changing before he opened the door and walked back into his bedroom.

Thor had already finished changing by the time Loki returned, and while the pants were a bit snug on him, they seemed to fit fairly well, and he had been checking himself out in the mirror when Loki entered the room. Hearing the door, he turned to face Loki and said, "Thank you, these seem to fit quite nicely. I suppose we may still have to do some shopping later, but... perhaps I can ask a favor of Mr. Stark? He knows Midgardian fashion far better than I ever care to." With this, he slid under the covers on the side of the bed that appeared to be less used. Although for most grown men, it would be awkward sharing a bed with a brother, particularly one you recently discovered you have no relation to, but Thor didn't really see it that way. To him, he was simply looking out for Loki, and this was the best way he could do that.

Loki gave Thor a lopsided grin. "Sure, I could probably even bribe him to pay for everything," he said with an amused edge in his voice as he watched Thor slide into the right side of the bed. He turned off the lights again and walked over to the left side of the bed. He said nothing as he slipped under the covers a bit uncomfortably, laying on his side and facing away from Thor. He sighed after a moment, turning over to lay on his back and staring up at the ceiling through the darkness. A wave of exhaustion hit him then but he forced his eyes to stay open a while longer, still slightly unsure about it.

"Doesn't bribing imply a reward?" Thor pointed out playfully as Loki crawled into bed. In truth, although he was exhausted, Thor really didn't want to sleep- not because he didn't trust Loki, more because he didn't trust himself. He was not entirely sure that he would wake up in time to pull Loki back to reality, and that concerned him. He'd always hated that helpless feeling he got whenever night terrors attacked his brother in the past, and wasn't particularly looking forward to it now.

"Mm, sometimes," Loki replied a bit teasingly. He sighed afterward, finally allowing himself to relax back into the bed and closing his eyes.

Eventually, however, the Thunderer gave up on trying to keep his eyes open, and, after mumbling a quiet, "Goodnight, brother," or something to that extent- he was hardly coherent by the time he got around to saying it- he finally drifted off to sleep.

Loki heard Thor mumble something and replied, "Goodnight, Thor," he mumbled a bit sleepily. It was a moment later when he finally allowed for the exhaustion to take over and he closed his eyes, falling asleep almost immediately.

* * *

I never did mention that I'm the one that played Thor and Lokitty played Loki. I guess I thought that might be obvious, but..

Anyway, a quick note/shameless advertisement, I'm looking for more people to do Avengers Roleplays with, and most specifically a Castle/Avengers (or just Iron Man) crossover would be amazing. That's optional though. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, we've got a lot more where that came from.


	3. Chapter 3

Just a moment after falling asleep, Loki appeared to be on the barren planet again, standing infront of a large throne he knew far too well. Nobody sat in the black throne though and he wondered where its owner was before he was suddenly aware of a presence behind him. Whipping around, he instantly started backing away in fear, not able to control the sudden shaking that raked through him.

Thanos gave him a malevolent grin, stepping towards him. "It's nice to see you again, my pet. It's been far too long." His voice had a bite of sarcasm in it. Loki said nothing, realizing then that he was surrounded on all sides by either Chitauri warriors or rock outcroppings. "I've missed you, Jotun runt," he growled, brandishing a long black sword in one hand and a whip in the other.

Loki whimpered slightly, backing into one of the outcroppings and cringing away. He glanced around frantically, hoping there was some way to escape when he suddenly saw a portal on the other side of Thanos. It was his only way of escape but the Titan was closing in on him, allowing him only a slight path that he knew he had to take...now. He took a deep breath, jumping to the left to confuse Thanos before turning and running around on his right side towards the portal. Thanos fell for his game, taking too long to notice he had made it around him. He was inches from it, his hand stretched out into what he recognized as his room on Asgard until he felt Thanos' hand close tightly around his shoulder and a pang of agony through his abdomen.

"No!" He screamed, looking down and seeing the edge of the black blade poking out of his skin as another wave of agony tore through him.

"You're mine."

Loki whimpered in pain as Thanos twisted the blade, shredding the surrounding skin and organs. He shuddered in pain, stumbling away only for another flash of blinding pain to rip through his back with the crack of a whip, causing him to scream in pain due to being unprepared for it.

Sure enough, Loki thrashing about in his sleep woke Thor- though it did take some time before he realized exactly what was going on. Still half- asleep, Thor grabbed Loki by the shoulders and shook him roughly, "Brother..."

Loki noticed then that something seemed to be shaking him far more than he had been before and he thought he heard someone calling his name though another crack of the whip caused him to whine slightly, drowning out the noise. It shook him more roughly though as he realized what it was.

Apparently, hearing himself speak made him even more concerned, as he recalled their conversation the night prior, and he snapped to full attention, "Loki!" Thor more or less shouted, shaking his brother more roughly, "Wake up! It's a dream; it's not real!"

Loki gasped sharply, suddenly sitting up in the bed and looking around wildly. He noticed he was still shaking terribly and he was covered in a slight sheen of sweat. His gaze fell to something beside him and he flinched, tensing and leaning away only to remember the night before.

"Welcome back," Thor said gently, trying to lighten the mood some, though it came perhaps a bit too soon. Truthfully, he was just glad he had been able to rouse Loki, as it was starting to seem like any attempt to do so was futile. Although he was hesitant to do so, Thor wrapped his arm comfortingly around his brother's shoulders, just as he had when they were children. He didn't know what more he could do, other than confirm for him that he was there, and that it was over, for now... But again, that helpless feeling came over him as he watched his brother struggle- even now, he was still trembling with fear. Helplessness and anger, frustration, thoughts of revenge filled Thor's mind, but... He could truly do nothing at that point but try to calm Loki. "I'm sorry," He said quietly.

Loki watched Thor uncertainly for a long moment, suddenly glad for the comforting weight of Thor's arm around his shoulder. He leaned away slightly, shrugging off Thor's arm before wrapping his arms around it and leaning into Thor slightly. His eyes squeezed shut as he focused on Thor's warmth and presence beside him, waiting for the trembling to subside and forcing himself to remember that he was on Midgard and that he wasn't alone. His eyes drifted open after a long moment and he sighed, his grip on Thor's arm loosening slightly as he leaned away a bit, unsure of himself again. "It's okay," he said quietly, his gaze falling to the blankets in front of him.

"No," Thor corrected, "I mean, I'm sorry; I should have been here sooner. I had no idea, all this time, you've been suffering here alone." The fact that Loki hadn't shoved him away with spiteful words only made Thor more concerned. If he was really that frightened now, even though he had woken up before whatever the natural end of that nightmare might have been… "You were wrong, you know," He added softly, "That was nothing like your old nightmares. It is harder to wake you now, probably due to his influence, and it obviously affects you deeply... I understand now your reluctance to sleep." Sighing, he sat back to brush his hair out of his face and put a more comfortable distance between them as he tried to cast his desires for revenge aside for now and focus on the present.

Loki shrugged, nodding slowly as Thor's word registered in his mind. "You didn't know," he said quietly, his fingers folding in the comforter as he gripped it. "I know they aren't which is why I wasn't sure about this. My old nightmares never left such a lasting effect on me and I could get over it within a few moments. With these...The pain and fear lingers," he mumbled. He closed his eyes again for a moment, taking a few steady breaths before continuing. "Before when he had more power over me, they would happen during the day as well, though it was usually through means of the scepter and the Other," he said. "Now he doesn't have as much power over me so he can only attack my unconscious mind when my defenses are at their weakest."

"In other words," Thor mumbled, his voice quivering with frustration and hatred, "During the same time the Avengers and I were hunting you down, this was even worse than it is now? And I didn't notice a thing! Just like before, I failed to notice anything was amiss with you!" His heart was aching, longing to go back to the way things used to be, the way they should have been, to go back and change everything... But even the 'almighty' Thor didn't have the power to alter his past mistakes. Quite suddenly, he threw his arms around Loki, another antic of their childhood, and repeated, "I'm so sorry, my brother... I have failed you. Time and again, I've failed you, and I have no one to blame but myself... Oh, how you must hate me, it's really no wonder you came to feel as you do, and you had done nothing to deserve it. I am so very sorry."

Loki nodded slightly in response to what Thor had said. "I tried my best to keep it under wraps though to be honest. If you had found out at the wrong time he would've killed you," he said somewhat quietly. "Though, I'm sure Barton would've noticed, I'm guessing he just never said anything."

He jumped slightly as Thor made a sudden move but as Thor wrapped his arms around him, he relaxed slightly. For some reason, he allowed himself to be held, neither fighting against it nor responding positively to it. "Thor..." He mumbled quietly, his gaze falling to the thunder god. He slowly wrapped an arm around Thor though it was a loose hold. "I did do my best to hide everything so I'm not surprised you didn't notice it. Albeit, some were more open and obvious but..." Loki allowed his voice to trail off.

"I still should have known! We grew up together, known each other our whole lives, surely I should have noticed something!" Thor pointed out, heaving a sigh. It was admittedly strange having Loki comforting him after all that had happened, but still somehow extremely natural... Perhaps because Loki had always been the one to guide him in the past, even if it was not always to the right path?

Loki sighed, shrugging slightly. "You weren't always the most observant, Thor," he said a bit teasingly, giving him a small smile. "That's my thing, not your's and honestly, if you suddenly became so observant, it would be unnerving," he continued in the same tone. He fell silent, allowing Thor to continue.

Pulling back slightly, Thor looked his brother in the eye and said seriously, "This may be coming too late, but... I will do my best to never take you for granted again, Loki. Honestly, right now, I never want to let you out of my sight again- I know I have not done a particularly good job of showing it, but... You know, those night terrors you used to have, that's what drove me to push myself harder. I could never do anything to save you, and I knew deep down that someday we would go to that place, that it was real- anything that terrified you so could not possibly have come from imagination alone, so I fought harder to get stronger for you, so when that day came... I would be ready, and I could destroy all of your demons with my bare hands... But look where it's got us instead. Loki, by blood or not, you always have been and always will be one of the most important people in my life. Never forget that."

His brow furrowed in confusion as Loki listened to all he said, not replying for a long time before he finally found his words. "Thor, you...you did all of that for me?" He questioned softly, giving him a disbelieving look as he pulled back a bit again himself. Memories of their times together as children ran through his mind, of him crying in Thor's arms at night, Thor holding him tightly and wiping away his tears. He remembered later too, every time somebody was insulting him or trying to hurt him, Thor had always stepped in the way and helped him when he couldn't take care of it himself. He had needed Thor then and he thought that had suddenly changed when he found out they weren't related but...he wasn't so sure anymore.

"Have I ever been able to get away with lying to you?" Thor asked, his face softening a bit, "Do you remember when we finally did go to Jotunheim, how I didn't want to leave? Why do you think I was so determined? I recognized the place from your descriptions, and I didn't want to stop until every last one of them was dead, until I saw that they had paid for whatever it was that was causing you those night terrors... So yes, brother, all of that, everything, was for you." Straightening up and finally letting go of Loki, he went on, "That is why, dear brother, even after the wrong you've done, I will always forgive you with open arms. Especially now, as I see everything that's happened has been almost entirely my own fault, because I failed you... In trying to do what I thought was best for you, I managed to realize one of my worst fears."

Loki watched him for a long time, his expression soft before he looked down again. "Everything was for me," he repeated quietly. "After everything, all those years I resented you for growing stronger and in truth, all of it was for me just because of my night terrors," he said quietly. "Why didn't I notice that? Of all things, Thor, I didn't notice that. Why the Hel didn't I notice that? So all these years I was just mad at you but you were only doing everything for me?"He covered his face with his hands. "And I've not been forgiving you for what I thought was something you did wrong when you were only protecting me," he fell silent for a while again, taking a deep breath before he looked up at Thor. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

"Neither of us have been very open about our intentions. It isn't your fault, brother." The thunder god said in an unnaturally serene tone, smiling a bit. "Truthfully, I don't think that I am the one who needs to be hearing this apology; rather everyone else who seems to believe you're nothing but a treacherous villain. They do not know you as I do." Yawning tiredly, Thor added, "But never mind that now. We should try to get some more rest before morning. With any luck, Thanos will leave you alone,at least for the rest of the night. If not... I'll be here." With this said, he more or less collapsed back onto his pillow in a fit of snores that made it hard to believe he'd ever woken up at all, and was perhaps, instead, sleep talking.

"Yeah, maybe tomorrow," he chuckled, shaking his head slightly in amusement as Thor seemingly fell asleep upon his head hitting the pillow. He watched the thunder god for a moment before he slowly relaxed back on the bed himself.

Pulling the blanket back up over him, Loki sighed, staring up at the blanket ceiling again. He was surprised then that he was actually still tired as he had expected sleep to elude him after the night terror as it usually did. Turning on his side again, he found he was facing Thor but that allowed him to feel a bit calmer. "Goodnight, brother," he said softly, glad that Thor was asleep. A moment later, he allowed himself to fall asleep as well.

When Thor woke in the morning, he had the sort of headache that generally forces people to ask themselves "what the hell happened last night?" before they even open their eyes. And, in fact, he did ask himself that aloud as he brought a hand to his head.

Groaning, he turned onto his side, only to find himself face-to-face with Loki. He nearly screamed and fell out of the bed from the shock of it, but thankfully, before he managed to open his mouth, he recalled what had happened the night prior. Glad to see that his brother seemed to be sleeping peacefully, he relaxed again, content to wait for Loki to wake before he really got up, just in case the nightmares returned.

Resting his head back on the pillow, his eyes slid almost completely closed as he watched the shadows the still rising sun cast on the wall behind Loki. He quite honestly could not remember the last time he had spent a quiet moment such as this in the presence of his brother, but it was certainly not an unwelcome change. All he could do was hope that things would continue to get better- and that they would find some way to get his power back before Thanos ruined it all.

Loki groaned slightly as he slowly awoke; he wasn't ready to wake up yet but he couldn't help as his eyes slowly slid open. He flinched back as soon as they had before relaxing just slightly. His green eyes flicked up to Thor's blue ones as he shifted a bit, pulling back as he realized just how close together they had been sleeping.

He realized though, that Thor hadn't been the one that had moved as the thunder god was still in the same place as last night but Loki had somehow managed to scoot over to just inches from Thor. "Uhm, good morning," he mumbled sleepily as he slowly sat up, yawning a bit as he did so. Glancing around the room, he noticed that the sun was already rising outside and one glance at the clock told him it was 9:24. It took him a moment to realize that he had slept through most of the night.

Giving a small smile, he turned to look back at Thor and sighed, flopping back on the bed. "Well, that's the most sleep I've had in a while," he mumbled.

Returning a playful smile, Thor agreed, "You needed it. You're looking better already." Leaning until his back hit the bed, the thunder god gave a heavy sigh, "I slept well myself- I find it much easier to relax now that we have finally begun to clear the air between us." Of course he was sure there would be plenty of other things that needed to be worked out, but... They were making pretty good headway, in his opinion, and that was more than enough for him- he was just happy to have his brother back. "Unfortunately, I have no idea what we are supposed to do now... Where to even begin. I don't suppose you have any ideas, either, as you likely would have tried them already, correct?"

Loki shifted a bit, giving a lopsided grin. "I forgot just how nice it was to wake up so rested in the morning," he said a bit teasingly. He pushed himself back too, propping a pillow up behind him and leaning back against the headboard, his head tilted back to look up at the ceiling again. He sighed, shaking his head slightly. "I don't know what to do or where to start either. However, we should likely eat breakfast and then go out on the town so we can get you some appropriate clothing. You said you wanted to ask Stark about it?" He questioned, tilting his head slightly to the side to look at Thor. "That's a good place to start for now."

"We can probably leave the shopping to him, if I explain that going out in my armor would attract too much attention, and the only other way would be to send you out by yourself." Thor smirked, feeling rather clever, "We have far more important things to do, anyway. Coming up with a plan of action, for example."

Loki shrugged, nodding slightly. "Yes, you could probably leave everything to him," he mumbled absent-mindedly. "And it wouldn't really work well with me going out on my own for multiple reasons," he added.

"Right, I'm sure you are not exactly beloved among Midgard's people," Thor murmured, apparently having just realized this. He had known that the Avengers would know who to be on the lookout for, but he had forgotten that the other mortals probably would have seen broadcasts about him, too.

Loki raised a brow incredulously, looking at Thor again. "No," he said sarcastically. He was wondering if Thor had just realized that or if he was simply stating the obvious but his immediate retort was one of sarcasm. "I've already had a few close calls when I first arrived which is why I resorted to mostly going out at night or using the internet for most things," he said in an even tone, his voice losing the sarcastic edge.

Shifting his gaze from the ceiling to Loki, he went on, "This would be so much easier if we could simply explain the situation to father, but... I somehow do not believe he will accept our request. Perhaps, then," He sat up, considering this, "We can ask my friends. We can ask them what mortals do to right their wrongs. It probably isn't what father wants, but at least it's a start."

"Even if we were to explain it to him though, I feel almost as if he would find some other reason to keep my power from me, even if only to try and teach me discipline. Of course, that wouldn't necessarily be the best way to go about it," Loki mumbled. "It would be by far easier if he had simply told me what he wanted of me rather than leaving me to figure it out for myself but I guess that would have made it too easy on me," he chuckled lightly, looking up at the blank ceiling again.

Nodding in agreement, Thor said, "Simply telling you what he wanted would defeat the purpose. Part of the lesson is the struggle to discover it... Unfortunately, that works against us. How to figure out what it is you are to learn, and, perhaps more importantly, how to teach it to you, is a complete mystery to me, and we haven't the time to solve it. Thanos could make his move at any moment, we cannot afford to waste any time with wild guesses... But I fear there is no one we can ask."

"I know that," he chuckled and sighed. "Wishful thinking, Thor, wishful thinking." He drummed his fingers together, staring up at the ceiling for a moment and thinking. "So, we have a few ideas and I guess the only way to know would be to test out each possibly. It will take a while obviously and we're already on borrowed time but we have to try something," he said slowly.

"Simply doing nothing is not an option," Thor agreed, forcing himself to sit upright, "But I want to make something clear first..." Looking over to his brother with an expression of pure sincerity, he said, "Many things were said last night, and I want you to know that I truly meant every word. Regardless of what happens next, and should this be our demise... I want you to remember that you are not alone, and that I will always care for you, brother." With a sad smile, Thor rolled out of bed and began wandering around the room, "Stark said his contact information would be sent to me... How should I expect to receive it?" He wondered aloud, glancing back at Loki, who he knew was far more knowledgeable about Midgardian technology.

Loki nodded slightly before his gaze fell to Thor again. "I know. You aren't a great liar," he chuckled lightly. "I will...work to remember that, Thor," he said in a bit quieter of a tone.

He slipped out of bed, walking over towards his desk. "Well, I presume he could easily use his technology to acquire my phone number but it would be by far easier to get his instead," he said, pulling out the chair and opening the laptop, turning it on. The screen flickered to life a moment later as Loki logged in and pulled up the internet. "Unfortunately, the number will likely be for his tower so you would have to speak to the receptionist for a moment so they recognized who you were before linking you to Stark," he said, glancing back at Thor.

Thor furrowed his brow, "That sounds far more complicated than it should be." After a moment, it occurred to him that there was probably a reason for that. "Perhaps it is some form of primitive security feature? I fail to understand these mortals."

Regardless, he moved to stand behind Loki and read the screen over his shoulder. Stark Tower appeared to be even more impressive in pictures than in real life- but, then, when Thor had seen it, it had not been in the best of shape. As Stark had said himself- he'd been thrown out his own window. He did see several series of numbers, but failed to understand the meaning behind any of them. "What are those? Codes?" He wondered, pointing to the contact information numbers.

Loki shrugged slightly. "You can ask him for his personal number once you speak to him," he said before glancing at the screen again. "Those are the various numbers for some of Stark's different facilities, we only need one though." He grabbed the phone off of its holder from the other side of the desk, dialing in the series of numbers and listening to it ring for a moment before somebody answered. He handed it off to Thor, gesturing with his hands for him to go on and speak to the person. "Tell her who you are and that you need to speak to Stark," he said quietly, an edge of amusement in his voice.

Thor blinked at the contraption that was handed to him, clearly not understanding what it was Loki wanted him to do with it. "It doesn't look like a 'her,' more of an 'it...' Are you sure this thing works?"

The mighty thunder god lifted the phone with two fingers, staring at it curiously for a moment before shouting at the top of his lungs, "This is Thor! I need to speak with Tony Stark!"

A voice on the other end shouted back feebly, "You don't have to yell! ... What did you say your name was?"

Presuming that he simply had not screamed it loud enough, Thor repeated "THOR ODINSON!"

Loki snorted, swatting at Thor as he grabbed the phone back from him. "You don't yell into the phone, Thor!" He narrowed his eyes slightly at the thunder god before holding the phone up to his ear.

"I'm sorry about him, he isn't very familiar with the technology here," Loki purred in a charming voice.

The woman chuckled slightly. "It's uh...okay but I'm guessing that really is Thor?"

"Yes. St-Tony said that we should contact him if we needed anything but in his haste, he forgot to give me the phone number and I was simply hoping you could forward us to him?" He continued.

"Of course," she replied shortly. It was a moment later when there was a noise on the other end and Loki was greeted by Stark's voice.

"Hello?" Stark started.

Loki glanced up at Thor for a moment, deciding whether or not to hand the phone off to him before he handed it to him, giving him a stern look.

A very confused thunder god accepted the phone from his brother and held it up to his ear, attempting to mimic the way Loki had used it. "I feel as though I've done something wrong," He confessed, "The technology on Midgard is entirely too foreign to me." He was not really sure who he was talking to, as he hadn't heard Tony's voice, so he was mostly just rambling to Loki, assuming the phone was broken or something.

At least, until Tony's voice came through, "Ah, well, if it isn't Thunderman. How is your reunion with your criminally insane brother going?"

Thor's eyes narrowed, and he thrust the phone back at Loki, "I fear I may break this device if I listen to any more. I forgot when I made this decision how infuriating Tony Stark really is."

"Awe, come on Point Break! I'm only slightly infuriating," Tony said.

Loki rolled his eyes, taking the phone and holding it up to his ear again. "Stark, you said we could contact you should we need anything, correct?"

"Oh, hey Reindeer Games. Anything for my favorite ex-god of mischief," he said sarcastically.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Thor didn't remember to bring any normal clothes and I can't exactly go out in public so we figured you could buy him a few outfits," he said evenly.

"Mm...I guess I'll take care of it for now but you owe me," Tony replied.

"Okay, whatever."

"Anything else you need?" He asked. "Because I'm not going out again."

"Yeah, bring me an Audi R8," Loki replied sarcastically.

"What color?" Loki could hear the amusement in his tone.

"Goodbye, Stark."

"Fine, black," Tony snorted before he hung up.

Loki set the phone back on its holder on the desk, looking up at Thor. "Well that's taken care of. Rather easy if you ask me but..." He shrugged.

"He doesn't trust me." Thor said quietly, a dangerous edge in his voice, "It was easy because he wants an excuse to come here and make sure that I am able to handle you. Without the others around to keep him in line, he will likely say and do whatever he pleases. It would not surprise me if he came here in his Iron Man suit." Sighing, he went around to the other side of the room, "At least it will be taken care of, which means we can focus on our other priorities, but first... I require sustenance."

"I wouldn't expect anything less of him," Loki replied. "And he said that I 'owe' him so he'll likely suggest I do something absurd, which of course, I won't do." He stood then, shutting down his laptop and pushing the chair back under the desk. "Come on, I'll cook us something for breakfast," he mumbled, walking out of the bedroom without caring to check his appearance. Walking into the kitchen, he glanced around and pulled open the fridge. "What do you want to eat?" He asked then, looking back at Thor.

"Whatever you have is fine," Thor replied, following his brother into the kitchen and taking a seat at the table. He was not particularly picky, though he did find that Midgardian foods could be quite delicious. Watching his brother's back, he commented idly, "I was just thinking that I cannot remember the last time we shared a peaceful moment like this... How cruel fate is that she would deny us such moments over simple misunderstandings... And now, with the threat of Thanos looming, it is hard to think that this might be our last. Does it sadden you as well, brother? Reflecting upon all of the wasted time that led us to what may be our final hours?"

Growling suddenly, Loki whipped around to glare at Thor. "Do not speak like that, Thor. This isn't our last and it isn't out final hours. I refuse to go back to that place; it is not happening," he snarled. "You're stuck with me for who knows how long." After a moment of glaring at Thor, he turned back to the fridge and pulled out the bacon and eggs, also getting the bread from atop the fridge. "Bacon, eggs, and toast then," he said evenly, turning on the stove as he pulled out a frying pan and spatula.

Though, of course, Thor was surprised by his brother's sudden outburst, he was certainly not discouraged from the subject. "I am simply accepting it as a possibility," He said softly, "An all too real possibility. We haven't the slightest idea how to get your power back, and without it... well, we likely won't stand much of a chance against Thanos."

Sitting back in his chair, Thor went on, "I agree that the thought is disturbing, but it is realistic. At least for now, we must face every day as if it were our last... 'to live without regrets,' as they say." Deciding he really ought to clarify, he added, "I am not resigning myself to this, merely accepting it as a possibility. We can still do our best until things come to a head."

Loki growled slightly, glaring at him out of the corner of his eyes for a moment before sighing. "I know it's a possibility, Thor. I've lived with that possibility of going back there since the day I left. I resent the very thought which is why I would rather not dwell on the subject," he said a bit more softly. "As you noticed from yesterday, it's far easier for me to simply give up if I think only of the odds stacked against us." His eyes turned back to the pan infront of him as he cracked a few eggs into it before he plugged in the toaster and placed some pieces of bread in it. He stood at the counter, tending to the food and glancing back at Thor occasionally.

"The right and the easy paths rarely collide." Thor pointed out patiently, "For example, it would have been easier for me to simply accept that things had changed, and that you were the monster everyone was making you out to be... To simply turn the other cheek, as, indeed, I am certain was expected of me when Heimdall told me that the Avengers were closing in on you, but I have never believed that you were evil, and I knew that letting go would have been one of- if not the single greatest mistake of my life."

"Hmm, I guess that's true," Loki said slowly. "I had almost expected you to do that yourself before I realized that you are far more stubborn than that. Of course, many of my expectations seem to prove false when they pertain to you," he mumbled.

Because he was watching Loki cook, Thor naturally noticed when his brother kept glancing back at him, as if he were expecting him to disappear. After thinking on it for a while, he recalled something Loki had said a few moments earlier and had somewhat of a realization. "What is it, brother? Are you expecting me to run off? You keep looking at me as though you are surprised I have not done so already..." He paused before adding, "You said earlier that I was stuck with you. Was there more than sarcasm in the way you chose to phrase that?"

He decided to respond to the latter subject, making the obvious choice to not turn to glance back at Thor for a long while. Loki sighed, pausing slightly in his cooking as he leaned back against the counter, facing Thor. "I can't help but have a slight doubt in the back of my mind that this is all an illusion and any moment I'll wake to find that I'm back in the dreaded place," he replied. He opened his mouth slightly to respond to the last bit before he snapped it shut again, turning towards the stove and flipping the eggs, purposefully avoiding it.

Thor smiled a bit awkwardly- not because he was happy with the situation, but because he was happy that, for once, he had managed to pick up on a subtle cue from Loki that something was amiss. Perhaps there was hope for him after all. "Well, I can't really say I know of any ways to prove that this is, indeed, reality, but..." He got to his feet and took slow, deliberate steps as he made his way to the counter beside the stove where Loki worked and leaned back against the counter. He glanced at the food for a moment before looking up to Loki, "I do wish there was some way I could ease your mind, but I fear that won't even be possible until we defeat Thanos... But I can try, anyway. I am not trapped here, brother. I came of my own free will, driven by my desire to protect you and belief that there was reason for everything... So I will not leave your side, and I hope that one day you will return the favor when we return to Asgard."

Shrugging, Loki sighed slightly, glancing up at Thor again and he scooped out one of the fried eggs, laying it on a plate. "There isn't really any way to prove which it is. However, Thanos has never carried out such a long illusion and one of such detail so I've been leaning towards it being reality," he said, scooping out another egg before cracking another two in the pan.

"It is words like that, Thor, that cause my expectations of you to fall short simply because I know that if they were lies, I would be able to tell easily," he said before giving him a lopsided grin. "Won't your queen be annoyed if you return to Asgard and insist upon having me by your side every day? I think she would eventually get tired of me," he said with a slightly teasing tone.

"We can worry about that when the time comes," Thor replied with a small smile, "Right now, I have no intentions of marrying... I..." He averted his gaze slightly, "I cannot very well bring Jane to Asgard, now, can I? Even if I did, our life spans are so vastly different, to spend any more time with her would only make it harder in the end... So I decided, quite some time ago, that I would let her go. Even now, I am in Midgard, yet I refuse to visit her as I promised... But it is for the best."

Eventually, he looked back up to Loki and added, "Anyway, I didn't mean I wished for you to watch over me, I meant that I wanted you to become my adviser. There can never be two kings ruling over one land, but at least, in this way, you are not 'the second prince,' and your opinions would be heard."

Loki nodded slightly, watching Thor for a moment. "At least you stopped it before you got too attached though. It would have been worse had you spent more time with her and then had her meet her end," he said slowly, unsure what else to say to him about that matter.

"Hmm... 'Loki, Royal Adviser'," he said jokingly. "I guess it has a nice ring to it," he mumbled, flipping the eggs again and glancing up at Thor. "You would need some diplomatic help anyway and you aren't necessarily always eloquent."

Thor nodded, "Exactly, you see? This is why I said I need you- I was not trying to be sentimental." Heaving a sigh, he clapped his brother on the shoulder and straightened up before making his way back to the table.

Loki chuckled, pulling the bread out of the toaster and putting two more pieces in. "You could manage without me, Thor if you had to," he said, glancing back at him as he moved to sit at the table. His gaze soon turned back to the pan as he scooped out those eggs, replacing them with bacon.

Thor did not want to dwell on the subject of Jane, but... He could not deny the fact that it still affected him. "As for Jane... I'm sure it is for the best, though I still think of her on lonely nights..." Taking his seat, the thunder god decided it was a good chance to change the subject, "Where did you learn to cook?" Of course, in Asgard, they had people to cook for them, and the food was obviously not quite the same as it was in Midgard.

Skimming over the first subject he mentioned, Loki focused on the question. "Through the internet, television, and some books though there was also a lot of trial-and-error involved. I can cook quite a few different meals easily without having to search for the instructions and ingredients. The food here is far different from our Asgardian cuisine. It contains far more grease and fat," he said, scrunching his nose slightly in disgust. "It's okay occasionally but after a while of it, I try to eat more natural things rather than the fat-filled ones."

"Some of the food here is quite delicious. What were those called... Poop Traps? I think that was the name... They were incredible!" Of course, Thor was not exactly much of a health nut, but to give him some credit, he did expend a lot of those calories hefting around his hammer and training. "There was another thing, a drink of some sort... It was a brown sludge called coughy. It did not make me cough, but it was certainly energizing!" Thor settled into his chair, fantasizing about all of the wonderful foods he had tried while in Midgard the past two times he had visited.

Loki snorted lightly, rolling his eyes. "You mean Pop Tarts, Thor. Besides, I just made this whole breakfast, you aren't going to just eat a Pop Tart instead," he said, pushing around the bacon and flipping it occasionally. "Coffee is helpful though. I used to drink it a lot just because it helped with the lack of sleep but after a while, I got tired of it as well," he said.

"Yes, Pop Tarts. My friends were surprised that I was still hungry after eating a box of them... I did not understand why; they are not particularly filling, though they are quite delicious." Thor rambled as he wiped his face on his sleeve.

"Whenever I first arrived here, I stuck to the more fatty foods that had more calories so that I could regain the amount of weight I had lost" he said, pushing some of the bacon out onto their plates as well as pulling out the toast. "I basically eat whatever I want though, provided it isn't always a lot but still..." Loki chuckled, pushing the rest of the bacon onto the plates before turning off the stove and grabbing some silverware. He took one plate in each hand and walked over to the table, setting one plate infront of Thor and one across from him, passing him silverware as well. "What do you want to drink?" He asked absentmindedly, retrieving two glasses from the cabinet and walking back to the fridge.

"Anything is fine," Thor replied absently as he began to more or less inhale his food. Before Loki could return with their drinks, he had already licked his plate clean. Sitting back in his chair, he added, "But your cooking is impressive as well, though I still believe such a task is beneath you."

Loki rolled his eyes at Thor's vague reply before pouring them both some orange juice. He turned to walk back to the table before noticing Thor had already cleaned his plate. Chuckling slightly, he set the glasses down and grabbed a box of Pop Tarts he had before walking to the table.

"I'm not surprised, that seems like something you would do," he said, setting one glass down infront of Thor and tossing the box of Pop Tarts to him. "I only have the one box but I don't eat them too often."

Sitting down in his chair, Loki picked at his own food, taking longer to eat it than Thor had. "Thank you. I actually somewhat enjoy cooking though," he said absent-mindedly, sipping at his orange juice before eating a piece of bacon.

After downing his orange juice in one swig, Thor tore savagely into the box of Pop Tarts and chomped away at them. His mouth still full, he asked, deciding it would be a good time to get back to the more important tasks at hand, "So what are you thinking we should start with? After I have been properly clothed, I mean." Swallowing, he clarified, "How should we begin?" He felt like they had already been over this several times, but had never quite come to a definitive answer.

Shrugging slightly, Loki finished off his eggs and took a bit of toast, holding it between two fingers. "Hmm...Well, I think that the regret would be easiest to do as I already stated that I do regret what happened but I know not how I would go about showing that. Maybe I have to make the Avengers know that I do regret it," he mumbled. "I don't know for sure."

He sipped at his orange juice again, pushing the left-over food around on his plate. "However, after that I do not know how we should go about it but that can be figured out afterwards," he continued. "I just hope that it doesn't truly have to be the love thing because if I was forced into that, I would be limited to very few choices."

"But there is much to be learned from love," Thor provided, finally finishing off his final Pop Tart, "Honestly, I would say that sounds like the most likely scenario, though I had initially mentioned it in jest. I can understand your reluctance, however..."

Loki sighed, his gaze falling to his plate. "But you said it yourself, it would be terrible to fall in love with a mortal and simply have them die only a few years later, or in this particular case, days later if Thanos were to arrive. I guess falling in love would imply that you are willing to lay your life down for that significant other, to show them your true colors and only try to give them the best which is why I wouldn't want to bring them into this situation."

"And that's another lesson to learn, love that is lost, love that can never be..." Thor pointed out quietly, glancing down at his empty plate in an attempt to forget about his own strifes and focus on Loki.

Leaning back in his chair, hands on his full belly, Thor said, "I would assume that the Avengers are all still nearby. I doubt they trust me enough to stray very far knowing that you are here, especially since it was only last night that they assembled, so you can try to make them understand... Although, I make no guarantees how well that will work. They do not seem particularly fond of you."

Loki sat back a bit, pushing the plate further out in front of him before laying his chin on his elbows. "I shall start with Stark then when he arrives. Barton will likely be the hardest to persuade," he started, shrugging a bit. "Or he could be the easiest. It seems as though he would be sympathetic due to the likeness of our former situations though I highly doubt that so I believe he will be the hardest."

Sighing, Thor said, "I do not believe that any of them will be particularly easy to persuade... Though if you managed to get one or two of them on your side, the others might follow... And, of course, I will support you, for what it's worth."

Loki nodded slowly. "If I can get Stark and Rogers on my side, it should be rather easy. I think Banner would follow them easily and after a while, Romanoff would follow Rogers and in turn, Barton would follow Romanoff. However, I won't make a move anytime soon to try and get on Fury's good side as I think the Avengers alone would suffice," he said. "I wonder when Stark will arrive, I doubt it will be too much longer being that his technology could easily locate my address," he mumbled.

"I agree, we should not require Fury-" Before Thor could finish his sentence, there was a crash as something came flying through the window.

"Would've been more fun to throw you out of it, but... A broken window's a broken window." Tony reasoned as he came to land in front of the kitchen table, where he dropped a box of clothes onto Loki's plate.

Curious, Thor lifted a T-shirt out of the heap and, upon closer examination, it read "I love Iron Man!" In fact, all of the shirts in the box had similar phrases praising Iron Man. After staring silently at it for a while, the thunder god, not wanting to be ungrateful, muttered, "Um... thanks."

"Only the finest for a God!" Tony teased, clapping Thor on the shoulder before inviting himself to wander around and inspect Loki's apartment.


	4. Chapter 4

Loki growled slightly, his head whipping around to glare at Stark. "You're obviously far too self-centered for your own good," he snarled, standing and following him. "I would offer you a drink but I'm afraid the alcohol I have isn't as extensive a collection as your's," he said sarcastically.

"Oh don't act like you wouldn't do something like that. If you went out alone to buy him shirts you know you would buy at least a few things praising you," Tony said, turning to look at him.

Loki furrowed a brow in confusion. "Things praising me?"

"Oh don't tell me you haven't seen any of that stuff? But I guess it's a good thing being it would boost your ego far too much," Tony mumbled.

"I bet it still wouldn't be any larger than your's," Loki smirked, watching him carefully to make sure he didn't break anything else.

Deciding that the two of them could not be left alone together, Thor joined in the little parade around Loki's apartment. "I am glad that you came to meet us like this- my brother has something he wishes to speak with you about." He began, nudging Loki to stop being inhospitable.

Tony glanced over his shoulder, "Me? Well I can't say the feeling's mutual. I have nothing to say to him other than if he tries anything, he's dead."

Loki rolled his eyes, shooting a glance at Thor before turning back to face Stark. "Good luck with that with him here," he mumbled, nodding back towards Thor with a smirk. "Anyway, I wish to speak with you about certain circumstances pertaining to my earlier attack on Midgard."

Tony raised a brow, watching him uncertainly. "What 'certain circumstances'?" He asked slowly.

"Well you remember how I easily controlled Agent Barton's mind with the scepter? Everything was much like that when I attacked though I wasn't being 'controlled' per-say. However, due to my not being in full control of the situation, I simply wanted you and your team to know that everything that happened I truly regret-"

Tony laughed suddenly, cutting Loki off rather easily. "You expect me to believe that? You really are an insane murderous psychopath."

Growling, Loki narrowed his eyes on Stark. "I was tortured until I was weak enough to comply with the commands dealt to me. You know a thing or two about torture, do you not Stark?" He snarled.

Falling silent, Tony watched him for a long moment before continuing. "I still don't believe you."

"I can prove it and Thor can vouch for my statements if he must," he said evenly.

"Thanos," Thor said quietly, "Is a character of myths and legends, a well-known name in Asgard... At least, I believed them to be myth... He was able to force my brother into submission on his own, even when Loki had all his power. Do you understand what that means, Stark? Think of how much difficulty we had, all of the Avengers working together, to corner Loki and force him to surrender."

Tony certainly did consider this, at least for a moment, before he realized, "But he can't be trusted! We can't trust a word that comes out of his mouth! There's no proof of any of this!"

"Would you be willing to risk not only your own life, but the lives of everyone in this realm and Asgard, all of those innocent people, for that belief?" Thor challenged, glaring at Tony's faceplate.

The tense silence that followed afterwards said that Tony was thinking deeply about that before he sighed audibly. "No, no I'm not but with the first inclination that he is actually lying, he's so dead," Tony growled.

"It is no lie though Stark and we are working to gain my powers back so that we may defeat Thanos when he arrives," Loki supplied.

"When he arrives? You mean he's coming here then?"

"Yes, he is and he will destroy everyone and everything in this realm simply to satisfy himself. It would be highly difficult to defeat him even if I had my powers and we were all fighting against him and his forces. Without my magic and powers...we stand very little chance," he continued.

"Okay so how do we get your powers back? I'm not overly fond of the thought but if it's our only chance..." Tony trailed off.

Loki gave him a somewhat sheepish grin, looking to Thor. The thunder god was shocked, to say the least, that they had managed to win Stark over so easily. Perhaps Loki's plan to win over the Avengers might just work after all. "That's the thing. We have no idea how to even begin to go about getting Loki's power back, and Thanos could show up at any given time."

"You don't know? What do you mean you don't know?! Some freakishly powerful rage monster could come crashing in here at any second and you don't even know how to get the power to stop him?!" Tony was, understandably, enraged by this news.

"My father stripped him of his powers, just as he did to me, which means that he is likely meant to learn a lesson, but... that lesson could be anything, and if we simply went to father to request the power back, he would refuse us, as my brother is seen as a traitor in his eyes." Thor explained with a sigh.

Loki sighed. "We have a few different options and we decided to start with showing you and your team that I do truly regret what happened here, mostly because I had to do it. It was either the few thousand that died then or the billions that would die later but that is quite redundant anyway being that if Thanos were to arrive now he would likely destroy the whole realm before moving on to Asgard," he explained.

"Well does your father not care about the realms or something?! Why doesn't he give Loki his powers back until Thanos is defeated and then take them again afterwards?" Tony questioned.

"That would likely be too easy," Loki said slowly. "I also doubt that he would believe us anyway as he is rather biased now."

"Furthermore, there would be the matter of catching Loki at full power again, were he being untruthful. It is not that he does not care, more... he does not trust my brother's word." Thor provided, "So we have to figure out what exactly the lesson is and get him to learn it before Thanos arrives."

"Yeah, I got that part." Tony grumbled, rolling his eyes, "So what are these ideas of yours, other than making nice with us? By the way, how is it you plan on convincing the others you're not completely full of it? Because if Banner goes Hulk on you for lying, I'm not getting involved, let's just make that clear right now."

Loki chuckled slightly. "Well, I was thinking that if I could convince you and Rogers as I have Thor, the others would follow along easily," he explained.

"Okay, and the other ideas?" Tony questioned.

He sighed. "Those are a bit more complicated. Thor, for example, acquired his power back by falling in love with his mortal."

Tony laughed again. "So you're going to go out searching for a partner?"

Loki sighed, rolling his eyes. "No, that isn't an option because I refuse to bring a partner into this situation. Another option was to try and assuage my feelings of resentment towards the beings that I dislike though few of those matter."

Tony smirked. "So you guys are in for some brotherly bonding then."

"And I say again, part of the lesson of love is losing that which can never be." Thor repeated, glancing at Loki before returning his attention to Tony. "As we will be working together anyway, I would certainly hope our relationship would improve anyway."

"Isn't that nice? Just don't forget to keep an eye on him; I don't trust that guy any farther than I can throw him." Tony spat, glaring at Loki from behind his faceplate.

In an attempt to change the subject, Thor interjected, "In the meantime, perhaps we can go have words with the other Avengers?"

"Well that wouldn't be good for me," Loki mumbled quietly, glancing up at Thor before looking back to Stark. "Yes, it would likely be beneficial if we could speak with them and try to turn this situation around. Of course it would take a while to walk...Wait, where's my Audi, Stark?" Loki questioned teasingly. "You didn't bring it did you?"

"Awe man, it seems as though I forgot," Tony replied sarcastically. "Besides, I can fly in my suit and Point Break can use his hammer so one of us could just carry you but it would probably be better if Thor did it. I might 'accidentally' drop you."

Loki's eyebrows shot up. "I would rather walk even if it takes far longer," he said evenly.

"But it will be a great start for your brotherly bonding!"

"Well naturally we have already started," Thor pointed out as he shamelessly removed the pants Loki had let him borrow the night prior to change into jeans and one of the Iron Man tees Tony had brought him.

Sounding fairly amused the genius playboy billionaire philanthropist teased, "Oh? And what do Gods do to bond? Play Monopoly?"

Thor seemed confused, "I do not know what that is," He confessed, "But we had the chance to talk, and I managed to break Thanos' night terror trance."

"Night terror trance? So even that little snake has nightmares, huh? But how did you hear him from the other room? He must've been screaming like a girl!" Tony mocked, looking away to give Thor some privacy.

"Of course not! I spent the night by his side in order to be there to wake him in such an event." Thor explained as he finally managed to get the button on his jeans into place.

Tony fell silent for a moment before he burst out laughing, one armoured hand bracing himself against the wall. Loki groaned, one hand raising to cover his face as he waited for Stark to regain his composure which he did a long moment later. "You two slept together?"

"Not like that, Stark," Loki snarled, narrowing his eyes on the Avenger.

"Does he cry and scream like a girl when he wakes up, Thor?" Tony continued, laughing more.

Tensing slightly, Loki shot a resentful glare at Thor, wondering why he had brought that up instead of simply allowing the subject to subside. He stayed silent though, suddenly hoping that Thor would crush the mortal for continuing so.

Finally dressed, Thor lifted Mjolnir and studied it in his hand for a moment before forcing Tony to the floor and dropping the hammer on the man's chest. "I may have mentioned that I would really rather you not speak of my brother in such a manner," Thor reminded in a shockingly calm, even tone, "Or perhaps you would like some night terrors of your own?"

Tony tried once, twice, three times to use the power of his suit to get himself out from underneath the hammer, but found himself completely incapable of doing so. "Get this thing off me!" He demanded finally, glaring at Thor.

"Apologize first," Thor retorted, making no move to let Stark up.

Loki smirked, smiling slightly at Thor as he crouched down, dragging a finger along Mjolnir before trailing it along Stark's armour. "I kind of like this though," Loki muttered, giving Stark a wicked grin before standing and looking down at him. "Even without my power you still fall beneath me."

Tony growled, narrowing his eyes at Loki even though his faceplate was still down. He raised a hand, the repulsor lighting up. "Don't forget I can still blast you," he said.

Loki narrowed his eyes. "Don't forget you're still under my bro-," he cut himself off suddenly, realizing he had nearly addressed Thor as his brother again.

Tony smirked. "It seems your brotherly bonding is already starting to work its magic."

Thor grinned, rather liking that thought, though he refrained from commenting on it, not wanting to push his luck. "Unfortunately, we haven't the time to waste here." He reminded, trying to get everyone back on topic, "Stark, how quickly can that suit of yours find the other Avengers?" He wondered, lifting Mjolnir off of Tony and allowing him to stand.

"I don't need it to. They're all staying in Stark Tower for the time being. I think Natasha and the Hawk went out clothes shopping, but Banner said he wanted to tinker with some of my work, and the Capsicle just discovered what video games are- he was so busy playing, I don't think he even heard me say where I was going." Tony replied honestly, getting to his feet.

"Video games?" Thor wondered, "What are those?"

Loki sighed, glad that Thor hadn't said anything in response to his near slip-up. "Video games are...complicated. You control a person or thing on the television screen or some kind of screen," he explained briefly.

Tony rolled his eyes. "I'll show you when we get there if I have to," he said before turning to Loki. "Are you walking or...?"

He shrugged. "I'll make it one way or another whether it be walking or a taxi or other," he mumbled. "Because I'm not overly fond of being carried anyway," he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'd like to clean up the mess first though." He gestured towards the broken glass and the mess on the table from Stark dropping the box on his plate.

"It would be easier to fly." Thor pointed out as he looked around at the mess. He wanted to help, but somehow thought that he would only make things worse. It seemed he had a way of doing that on Midgard.

Tony smirked, "Hey, I'm not here to judge. Personally, I think it'd look good, Thor carrying you bridal-style... Where's that cape of yours? We could use that like a wedding veil, it'd make for some great pictures."

Loki rolled his eyes. "Even if I were in a relationship where I was submissive, I would never wear a veil at my wedding," he growled, narrowing his eyes at Stark

"Oh, so you've already thought about the two of you together and figured you would be the submissive one?" Tony teased.

Loki gave him a horrified look. "You can't be serious, Stark," he mumbled a moment later, shaking his head as he grabbed a broom and dust pan, walking over to the shattered glass covering the floor.

Apparently Thor was only half-listening to the conversation, as when he decided to chime in, he said, "I disagree; Loki has a rather dominant personality."

Tony burst into laughter at this, "You hear that? Even he's been putting some thought into it! No wonder he brought up the subject of falling in love!"

Thor furrowed his brow, confused, "Who said anything about love?"

Loki groaned. "You did Thor, maybe not directly when you said you stayed by my side last night. Anyone here on Midgard would believe we were together, as in in a relationship," he said slowly.

Tony laughed again, seeing the faint red blush that had rose in Loki's cheeks. "We were talking about the two of you together in which case I think you would be dominant and Reindeer Games here would be your queen."

He whined slightly in despair, seeing this conversation wasn't going anywhere. "Stark, just drop it, please."

"I think you would like being his queen, you'd still be in a place of power," he continued.

"One more word and I will kill you."

Tony smirked, noticing that Loki seemed rather sensitive to the subject. "Uh-huh."

Though he was still failing to grasp exactly what they were talking about, Thor stepped to his brother's defense by saying, "I've already offered him a position of power."

Apparently Tony was not quite through with the subject, "Ignoring what a terrible idea that was on your part," He mocked, "I think it would be perfect- just imagine if you picked up bondage! Whip him right into shape!"

Loki gave up trying to defend himself, turning back to the glass and sweeping it up effectively. "Thor, must I spell it out for you? Stark is talking about us being in a relationship as in lovers. He's saying you would be dominant and I would be submissive and being that you are king of Asgard that I would be your queen because we would be together and married," he explained.

Tony smirked. "Well you would get your powers back wouldn't you? If you fell in love with each other?"

Sighing, Loki rolled his eyes. "It's an absurd possibility, Stark," he growled, scooping the glass into the dust pan and dumping it into the garbage can before returning to sweep up more.

"I don't find it that absurd," Thor commented honestly, "You are the one who keeps pointing out that we are not blood brothers, after all." He smiled a bit, trying to show Loki that he was only teasing, though his words were true.

Loving that Thor was actually playing along, Tony jeered, "That's right- you're not even really related, so what's the problem?" Glancing over to Thor, he added, "Anyway, you should have no trouble finding Stark Tower. If you do, just look up. In the meantime, I'll leave you two lovebirds to your nest." Partially due to the fact that he was beginning to fear for his own safety, Tony flew back out the window he had come through, laughing manically to himself.

Loki was aghast as he looked up at Thor. "You can't be serious," he said slowly, looking up at Thor. He narrowed his eyes at him slowly. "Have you seriously thought about the possibility of that before? The resentment and more hatred I would earn from the Aesir from defiling their beloved king?" He sneered, failing to realize that Thor was teasing. Falling silent afterward, he stood there staring at Thor for a moment, his hands still on the broom and dust pan handles.

Shrugging as he kicked some glass into a pile, the thunder god replied, "Seriously thought about it? No, the thought crossed my mind now because it was brought up. But it is true, you know, you do keep going on about how we are not truly related, and I certainly couldn't care less what the Aesir think. I am their king- they have no choice but to accept my decisions." Walking around Loki, he went to gather the garbage can and bring it over in his best attempt to help without getting in the way, "Why so serious, brother? You know Stark meant that all in good fun... probably."

Loki was still as he watched Thor for a moment, glancing over him a bit uncertainly. "Well maybe so but do you realize what Odin and Mother would think about it?" That was truly the only objection he could really think of but that didn't mean he was still fully open to the idea as it was absurd; oh, no, there was another. "Besides you would have to have an-" He cut himself off again because that technically wasn't a problem either. An heir wouldn't be a problem because Loki was Jotun and all Jotun were able to conceive and carry children. He growled inwardly, shaking his head before sweeping up more of the broken glass, glad to see that most of it was already done.

"Would father not be getting exactly what he wanted? Peace between our races, was that not his intention of bringing you home that day?" Thor pointed out, watching his brother handle the glass situation. "Mother might be upset at first, but... I don't think she would really object, as long as we found happiness." He paused a moment, realizing just how absurd it was, that he was actually considering this, that they were even continuing this conversation... But then, he didn't see any need to stop it, either.

"I don't know that it would necessarily bring peace though Thor. I'm not recognized as prince on Jotunheim and I don't even know if they already have a new king or not or anything," he mumbled, slowly turning his attention back to the glass and scooping up more of it. He couldn't believe they were actually contemplating this but it could actually be an option. Thor was going to be facing Thanos anyway, whether Loki had his powers back or not and though Loki didn't necessarily like the thought of it, he realized that was how it was going to happen. He knew Thor would want revenge against the Titan; he had heard it in his voice only last night. "I guess you're...right about that," he added slowly after a bit, referring to the fact that Mother would be fine with it as long as they were truly happy.

Thor shrugged, "If any of them are even still alive," He pointed out, "You may well be the last of your race, after what you did with the Bi-Frost. No one has dared travel anywhere but Midgard since." The thunder god continued to watch his brother a moment longer, trying to come up with the right words to say, but having no luck in doing so. Eventually, he straightened out and went to bring their breakfast dishes to the sink, a mannerism he had learned from his mortal friends as something that was polite.

Loki's eyes widened as he turned to look at Thor. "No that's not-not possible. I can't have destroyed an entire race," he said quickly, watching Thor. "You have to send someone to check or something. I'll go myself but I can't have..." He allowed his voice to trail off.

Why did he care about that? Loki had already claimed them to be a savage race, but the thought of destroying an entire species tore through him because that was the worse though; to be dead and forgotten with no kind of remembrance or remorse. His eyes followed Thor as the thunder god deposited the dishes in the sink but he had stopped working, watching him and waiting for a reply.

"It is a strong possibility." Thor confessed, finally looking back up to Loki, noting his expression. "That is not a possibility right now. You know as well as I do that for the time being, we have to focus everything on Thanos. Perhaps afterwards..." Heaving a sigh, the thunder God moved to stand before Loki, resting a hand on his shoulder, "I am sorry if this upsets you, but... You must accept responsibility for your actions. It was your intention to destroy Jotunheim, after all."

"But I...it's...You have to send somebody! I need to know, Thor. It can't take too long and you wouldn't take more than a few hours at the most!"Loki said desperately. "Please? I know it was my intention but I wasn't thinking straight! I was angry and hurt and pained. You were gone and Odin was asleep and Mother didn't know!"

"I can't have killed them all," Loki said quietly, slowly as his gaze fell to the floor though he noticed the slight shaking of his hands. He clenched them tightly into fists, trying to hide his weakness again.

"Even if I did they would have no way of getting here! The Bi-Frost has been destroyed, remember? The bridge is gone, we cannot come and go freely any longer! It is only possible using father's magic, my lightning, or the Tesseract, which can be entrusted to no one. Father does not even know the nature of my visit to Midgard. If he did, I fear he would force me to return. There is nothing to be done now, brother, but to focus on Thanos." Thor reminded him patiently.

Loki stilled, falling silent again. What Thor said was true and he hated that fact. He nodded slowly, quietly returning to the work and tearing his shoulder away from Thor's grasp. Loki refused to accept that he had killed off an entire race though, especially not the one that he technically belonged to, the one he was biologically.

Thor could plainly see how deeply this was affecting Loki, but he knew that there was really nothing he could do about it for the time being... But he didn't regret telling Loki about it. After all, this would only add to his regret of his actions. "Try not to dwell on it for now," He suggested, not quite sure what more he could say to comfort Loki.

"I can't not dwell on it, Thor. You don't realize just how much..." Loki trailed off, shaking his head slowly. "They can't all be dead. I'm not the last and we're still going to have to work on making peace once we return to Asgard," he said firmly though his gaze remained on the floor.

When Loki shook him off, the thunder god took a step closer, "How much what?" He wondered, really trying to understand why his brother was despairing so much.

Loki shook his head, looking away and biting his tongue sharply, purposefully not answering the questioned as he swept the last of the glass into the dust pan. He deposited the broken shards into the garbage and placed the trash can back in it's proper place.

"Loki... Even if, worst case scenario, you did manage to finish off the Jotun, even if you are the only one of your race that remains... You are not alone. You know that, don't you? I, personally, will always be here for you, and I know mother and father still hold you dear, even if they are not particularly happy with you right now..." With a sigh, he finally turned around, "At any rate, we shouldn't keep the Avengers waiting. At the very least, it may help get your mind off things."

"Just a moment and we will leave," Loki said, avoiding everything else, as he turned and walked back into his bedroom so that he could change and at least fix up his hair a bit first. He immediately grabbed a new change of clothes from his dresser.

Naturally, Thor wanted to press the subject, though he could clearly tell that his brother wanted to be done with it, and for a moment, he managed to keep to himself, but eventually, curiosity got the best of him and he followed Loki into his bedroom. "How much what?" He repeated, sitting on the foot of Loki's bed, but, knowing that just asking would likely not even get his brother's attention, he went on, "I am trying to be more perceptive, you know, but I still cannot read your mind. What are you thinking, brother?"

Loki sighed, walking into the bathroom for a moment and changing out his pants. Walking back into the room, he pulled on a black t-shirt over his bare chest as he turned back to face Thor. "How much it hurts, if you honestly must know. Imagine if you were in my place," he said slowly, turning to glare at Thor. "I know I called them savages and monsters but I only say that because that's simply how I perceive myself but I thought recently that they can't all be like that, they aren't like me or Laufey all the time." He sighed, turning to the mirror and brushing his hair back into its usual form to where it fell just below his shoulders, falling silent once more before turning his attention back to Thor.

Smiling gently, Thor assured him, "But you're not a savage monster, are you? Just the fact that you're having thoughts like this is proof of that."

Loki shrugged slightly. "Even monsters have their times of weakness, Thor," he said evenly, keeping his voice devoid of emotion. "I've been having far more than I would like recently," he continued, turning back to glance at Thor.

The thunder god got to his feet, seeing that Loki appeared to be ready to leave, and added, "You are right, though, that it is unlikely that all of them are as evil as we made them out to be. That was what Father has been trying to teach us since we were young... But never mind that now. Are you ready to go?"

Loki shrugged, sighing slightly. "Yes, I am ready to go if you are," he mumbled, glancing back into the mirror after a moment before he walked out into the living room. He continued on until he was standing in front of the now open window, crossing his arms over his chest and turning to look back at Thor again and waiting patiently on him.

Thor followed his brother out of the room, but was surprised when he went to stand in front of the window. "I thought you said you'd rather walk?" He questioned, moving to stand beside Loki regardless. "Not that I'm complaining. Flying is always faster, but..." Grinning playfully, he began to swing Mjolnir around slowly at first, but quickly picking up speed until it was repeating its circular motion so fast it nearly lifted him off the ground. Just before his feet left the floor of Loki's apartment, however, he extended his free arm and drew Loki into his chest, holding him securely there, "Last chance to change your mind," He warned.

Loki shrugged, stepping back a bit nervously as Thor began to swing Mjolnir only for the thunder god to pull him tightly into his chest. "Might as well fly," he mumbled. "I don't care," he continued, shrugging again. He reluctantly relaxed into Thor's chest, laying his head on the thunder god's shoulder but refusing to voice just how much he enjoyed this position as it reminded him of their younger days, their easier days before everything changed and his resentment had started to grow.

After ensuring that he did, in fact, have a good grip around Loki's waist, Thor put a bit more power into his swing, and, soon enough, they were off the ground and flying over New York city. People on the ground were probably pointing at the spectacle, but he couldn't care less, instead focusing on his target, Stark Tower. Loki glanced around for a moment as they were flying before he closed his eyes and laid his head back on Thor's shoulder.

It didn't take long to make it to the tower, where he chose to land on the balcony rather than going through the trouble of using the front door. Unaware of the comfort his holding Loki was providing, he quickly pulled away, releasing his brother, and made his way for the door, where he could already see a very smug-looking Tony Stark heading towards them. Loki was glad when they had landed but reluctant to allow Thor to pull away so quickly. The thunder god obviously didn't notice the slip in his defenses then.

"Welcome to my humble abode!" He greeted, smirking, "Did you have a nice flight over here, little Queenling to be?"

"Where are the others?" Thor demanded, ignoring Tony's remark about their decision to fly.

Loki smirked inwardly before giving Stark a lopsided grin, wanting to toy with him a bit. "Yes, it was very comfortable, especially after the talk we had once you had left," he said, glad that Thor wasn't likely to pick up on what he was insinuating even if it wasn't true.

Tony's brows shot up. "Talk?"

He smirked and nodded. "Yes, our talk," he said shortly, glancing around a bit uncertainly for the other Avengers.

"Yes, a lengthy discussion that I had to cut short because I knew you would get suspicious." Thor mumbled vaguely, "Now where are the other Avengers?"

Taking this entirely the wrong way, Tony snickered and glanced over at Loki, "You sure move fast, don't you, Reindeer Games? Can't say I'm surprised your nose only glows for Santa."

It was then that yet another clueless one wandered onto the scene- Steve stepped out onto the balcony and asked, "What the hell? I take a break to get a snack, and what do I find? Fraternizing with the enemy, are we, Stark?"

"Come now, Rogers, surely you don't hate me so much as to constantly degrade me," he purred. Loki smirked inwardly, biting back a laugh as Thor only made it worse. "Mm, I guess so. It glows rather brightly for...Santa and does so when he please, hopefully far more often now," he said, narrowing his eyes at the Avenger.

Tony snorted again. "Eager, are we? You're dominant side failing you?" He continued.

"Hmm, a bit, yes, but it's far more easier that way than fighting over it," Loki smirked. "I think we'll have to continue our conversation when we get home though, Thor isn't likely to allow the subject to fall easily as he is rather stubborn."

"Fair enough! I really don't need details." Stark confirmed, glancing back over his shoulder to Steve. "Alright, Capsicle, come on over here and listen to story time. Speaking of, where's Dr. Banner?" With this in mind, Tony went off to find his fellow scientist, leaving the brothers alone with Steve.

"You're kidding, right? You're not seriously leaving me alone with these two?" Steve complained, watching Tony wave him off dismissively.

Totally lost, Thor was more than happy to get back to the matter at hand. "Right, then. Perhaps you should start, brother, as you know more than I on this matter."


	5. Chapter 5

Loki chuckled, his eyes following following Stark as the billionaire walked out of the room. He glanced back at Thor for a moment before turning to look at Steve again. "Well, it's about my earlier attack on New York, it wasn't really by my choice," he started, thinking it better to get directly to the point.

"I wasn't being controlled like how I controlled Barton but it wasn't fully my choice. I was tortured until my mind was weak enough to comply with his demands and by his, I mean Thanos whom Thor will explain to you in just a moment," he mumbled, glancing back at Thor and pausing for a moment, another thought coming to the forefront of his mind. "I'm so glad you had no idea about any of that earlier," he suddenly chuckled before turning back to Steve."We just...We need to defeat him and I can't do that without my powers and we're working on getting my powers back which is why I am here now," he continued.

A very unconvinced Steve looked to Thor for further explanation, and it was provided. "Thanos was always mentioned in stories of our youth, but I never really believed him to be real simply because of how insanely powerful he would have to be. Think about this; it took all of the Avengers working together to corner Loki and force him to submit to us when he had all of his power. Thanos went above and beyond that on his own."

Steve did consider this, though he really wasn't quite ready to believe it. "Thor, you know we can't trust him." He pointed out reasonably.

"But, as I asked Stark earlier, are you willing to place the lives of all of the innocents on Midgard, as well as Asgard, at risk for the belief that Loki can speak only lies? Thanos wants the Tesseract, and he wants revenge. He's going to take it out on Midgard and Asgard, the realms that thwarted him, and will not stop until everyone and everything is destroyed."

Steve grew very quiet and glanced around himself. Of course he wanted to see what the others thought before making any decisions on his own, but... The way Thor was phrasing it... "If we were to agree to help you- which I'm not saying we will- how would we be able to get your power back?"

Loki sighed. "Well, that's the problem, we don't actually know how we are to get my power back easily. There are a few different options we've been looking into but we've decided to start with my regretting everything because it is the easiest. That's because everything that happened wasn't fully due to my own doing," he said.

"Hey! Why did you start without all of us here?" Tony suddenly said, walking back into the room and dragging Bruce in with him. "It would just be easier to tell us all at once rather than one at a time."

Bruce narrowed his eyes on Loki, giving him a hard look before crossing his arms over his chest and glancing up at Tony and Steve. "And what exactly are they doing here?"

"Explaining things," Tony supplied. "Clint and Natasha are still out shopping so you don't have to worry about them," he continued.

Loki nodded slightly, and once again, Thor summarized who Thanos was and why he was such a threat, how he had been able to defeat Loki on his own when it had taken all of the Avengers working together to just barely manage to get similar results. When he finished repeating himself, he added, "I know you may not trust my brother's word, but... Thanos is merciless, and he is angry. He wants the Tesseract, and he will not stop until he sees that both Asgard and Midgard, who prevented him from obtaining it, are obliterated. He will leave not a man, not a woman, not a child nor creature standing."

"I still don't get it." Steve stated, "If you don't even know how to get your power back, why come to us saying we can help? You're basically saying we're all going to die if you don't, right? Shouldn't you be focusing more on figuring out what to do?"

"That's why we came to you. We are working on figuring it out, it's just not easy as there are quite a few possibilities and we decided to start on the easiest one which is regret. That's the easiest simply because I do regret what happened because it wasn't fully my doing," Loki explained.

"And what are the other possibilities exactly?" Bruce suddenly spoke up as he had been quiet the whole time.

Loki sighed. "Well, we think it could also be trying to soothe my resentment for the few beings I dislike, or..." He paused. "Maybe it could be trying to make myself more humble, both of which would take more time," he mumbled.

"But what about-" Tony started.

"I'm getting there, Stark," he said, glaring at him for a moment before continuing. "Thor acquired his powers back after falling in love with his mortal. However, I've not really considered that as much of an option because of the situation that I am in and I wouldn't want to bring them into it."

"Or you could always just drop the act and fall in love with another god instead. Like the one standing next to you there." Tony pointed out, smirking.

Steve was repulsed by the thought, "What? WHAT? What are you suggesting, Stark? They're brothers for God's sake!"

"Not by blood," Thor cut in, "As Loki keeps pointing out, we are not truly brothers."

Chuckling, Tony glanced over at Steve, "See? They're not even trying to deny it."

In a desperate attempt to remove himself from the situation, Steve said, "So your first thought was remorse, right? Well, we'll need Natasha and Clint. I'll go give them a call." With this, he excused himself and went off, presumably to call the remaining Avengers.

Loki sighed, rolling his eyes and turning to look at Stark. "Really?" He questioned, raising a brow as he looked over at the Avenger.

Tony shrugged, giving him a lopsided grin. "Yeah, you guys would make a cute couple."

"We're complete opposites," he replied.

"They say opposites attract and you guys are obviously opposite. Thor's tan and you're pale. He has light hair, you have dark hair. He's...big and you're lanky. Thor's what most would call attractive by human standards and you're not," Bruce cut in, his voice indifferent as he shrugged.

"Okay, okay, we get it," Loki mumbled, rolling his eyes as he glanced at Bruce as well before shaking his head and sighing.

"Don't get too down, Reindeer Games, I know some people that would go for you," Tony supplied.

Loki chuckled and shook his head. "I don't care and I'm not down."

"By that logic, the same could be said about the two of you. Stark is sarcastic, loud, and flamboyant while you're generally sincere, quiet, and trying to stay out of everything." Thor pointed out, considering this.

Tony forced a laugh, though he was truly less than amused- now it was getting personal. "I didn't know you had that kind of comeback in you!" He commented, trying to brush Thor's little statement aside and forget about it.

"Oh, but you aren't denying it," Loki smirked, tilting his head slightly as he looked at Stark. "I think the two of your would be perfect for each other."

"Uh, I don't think I would be able to deal with Stark in a relationship," Bruce chuckled.

Tony raised a brow. "How do you know that when we've not even tried?"

Loki chuckled, smirking again as he glanced back at Stark. "You two should give it a try, both of you being scientists and all," he said.

Tony laughed. "Only if you and Thor do."

"Wait, shouldn't Thor and I both have to actually agree to this? I mean, we can't leave you two sarcastic asses to make all of the decisions," Bruce said.

"You actually expect to get a say in the matter?" Thor challenged, looking back and forth between Loki and Stark, "Wishful thinking, my friend, wishful thinking. It is hard to tell if they are being serious or not, however."

Smirking, Tony announced, "Oh, I'm serious alright." He suddenly pointed childishly at Loki and proclaimed, "I triple-dog dare you!"

"You triple what?" Thor was completely lost and honestly could not tell if the two "sarcastic asses" were being serious or not, but he knew better than to think that he had any say in what happened. Loki had a way of getting things to go the way he wanted.

Loki smirked. "I rarely ever lose when it comes to things like this, Stark," he said firmly.

Tony flashed him the same smirk. "Is that an excuse?"

Loki narrowed his eyes at Stark before moving over a bit and standing comfortably beside Thor, a bit closer than earlier. "No, not it isn't."

Tony stepped to the side too, resting an arm around Bruce's shoulder. "Okay, good, I'm up for a challenge."

Rolling his eyes, Bruce tried to shrug off Tony's arm. "You guys are actually serious," he mumbled. "Great."

Giving him a lopsided grin, Tony chuckled. "Yep," he said before looking up to Loki. "So, what is considered to be winning?" He asked.

"Hmm..." Loki hummed before smiling. "Exchanging declarations of love."

"Ooh, that's harsh, can't it just be se-"

"No," Bruce cut in firmly, looking up at him. "Loki's idea is better."

Loki smirked again. In a last-ditch effort to get out of whatever it was Loki and Stark were planning, Thor suggested, "If you two are quite finished, perhaps we could get to the more important tasks at hand? For instance, trying to come up with a plan to defeat Thanos?"

Stark rolled his eyes as he thought of the effort it would take, not to mention the toll on his relationship with Potts. Still, he couldn't just turn down a challenge like that, so he clarified, "That means they have to say it, too, not just us." He then held his hand out to Loki for a shake, "You're on, Reindeer Games."

Loki nodded to Stark, ignoring Thor's comment as he stepped forward to shake his hand. "Bring it on. You two have to start from scratch though, remember that," he said, chuckling slightly.

Bruce sighed. "I can't believe I just got pulled into this," he mumbled.

Tony smiled down at him. "Don't worry hon, you'll enjoy it," he said, releasing Loki's hand and stepping back.

Loki chuckled, stepping back as well and looking up at Thor for a moment before shrugging. "Well I don't see the need for planning right now being that if we were to encounter him in a fight right now, we wouldn't necessarily stand that much of a chance," he said.

"If this works out though we might," Tony supplied, referring to their dare.

Loki shrugged again. "It can't be feigned though, it has to be true and whatnot."

"And whatnot? Very convincing." Tony teased, rolling his eyes at Loki.

Loki chuckled a bit, rolling his eyes again. "Well, knowing you I have to list all of the terms or you'll find some way to get around them."

"Oh no, that sounds more like you," Tony replied.

Thor cleared his throat, once again trying to change the subject, "A plan of action then, something other than... This."

Loki smiled and shrugged, glancing up at Thor. "A plan of action? How can we do that if we don't even know what he's planning? He could even attack Asg..." Loki's gaze fell to the floor as he fell silent in thought.

It was that moment that Steve came back out onto the balcony, "I talked to Clint and Natasha, they should be coming home soon..." Noticing the fact that Tony and Bruce were standing noticeably closer to one another, he wondered aloud, "Did I... miss something?"

Bruce sighed and looked over to Steve. "Tony dared Loki to uh...give him and Thor a try and Loki said he would only do it if Tony and I gave it a try," he explained sheepishly, an awkward grin rising on his face. "Neither Thor nor I have actually agreed to it but I fear it doesn't matter if we didn't anyway. They're going to get their way one way or another."

Steve wrinkled his nose in disgust, "Am I the only one that seriously has a problem with this?"

"Pretty much, Capsicle." Tony replied with a lopsided grin, "Anyway, I think Thor's right. We need to come up with some alternative plans here to either get your power back or evacuate Asgard and Earth."

Catching on rather belatedly to what he believed to be Loki's train of thought, Thor cut in suddenly, "He would not attack Asgard first. He knows you are here, correct? On Midgard? Would he not want to capture you first, to torment you for failing him? Make you watch all of the destruction you have brought about?"

Loki sighed, biting his lip again. "Yes, he would want me but I don't know if he would necessarily attack here first. I mean, he has his own power but the Tesseract and the Infinity Gauntlet and many other highly powerful weapons are on Asgard. We could make our move when he first arrives to claim me?" Loki supplied, glancing up again. "Maybe make him fall into a trap or something and attack him with surprise. "And besides, Stark, without my power even if we were to somehow manage to evacuate both of the entire realms, where would everyone go? Thanos wouldn't stop until we were all still dead," he continued.

Tony shrugged. "Just offering up some options, Reindeer Games."

"Obviously not well thought through," Bruce mumbled.

"Well what I'm saying is, there are probably other realms, right? Obviously travel between them is possible, so I figured we could send everyone away until doomsday was over. But if Reindeer Games is saying that he would hunt them down, then there's no point. I don't claim to know the guy personally, I don't know what he's thinking... So don't be so grouchy, 'kay baby?" Tony teased, throwing an arm over Bruce's shoulder.

Now this had Steve thinking, too, "Wait, are there other realms? If so, we could ask for their help, and we have to warn them! What if he doesn't stop with just Earth and Asgard?"

So much for making Loki forget about Jotunheim. Thor heaved a sigh and replied vaguely, "It would not be that simple."

Loki tensed before shrugging a bit. "Yes, there are other realms but I don't know if any would be willing to hold the whole of Midgard's and Asgard's populations, especially if Thanos is after us. Besides, how many Midgardians do you think would want to leave? Jotunheim, Svartalfheim, Niflheim, Muspelheim, and Helheim are basically all not possible because of either the climate conditions or they may be simply too inhospitable. That would leave only Alfheim and no Midgardian has ever set foot there and Asgardians rarely go though either though we are currently at peace with them," he explained.

"Well hell, we're screwed," Tony murmured.

Bruce rolled his eyes, shrugging off Tony's arm. "Would it be possible that any of the realms would help?"

"I doubt Niflheim nor Muspelheim would simply because they try to stay out of other realms' affairs as does Helheim. Svartalfheim isn't likely to; Alfheim probably would. Jotunheim..." Loki sighed. "We currently do not know the state of Jotunheim and it is possible that most of the species is dead."

That got Tony's attention, "Woah, woah, woah, WHAT? What do you mean most of the species might be dead? And how do you know that but not know the state of Jotunheim?"

Steve was just a tad bit quicker on the uptake of everything that had been said, and turned to Thor, "When we first met, you said that Loki was a prisoner. What exactly had he done?"

The thunder god inhaled deeply before reluctantly confessing, "Your suspicions are correct, my friend. The reason for my initial banishment to Earth was my decision to break the peace we had with the Jotun and attempt to kill them all... We failed, that time, and I was banished, as I said, but then Father fell ill and my brother took over the throne in his absence. My power eventually returned to me, just as he was about to finish me with a giant metallic monster powered by magic, and I was able to return to Asgard, with the intention of apprehending him."

"As you have seen, my brother is not the easiest man to apprehend. After much struggle, he managed to open up the BiFrost- which we use to travel, but prolonged exposure..." He shook his head, trailing off before going on, "The Bi-Frost was out of control. Even I could not stop it, so I did the only thing I could think to do- I destroyed the bridge that led to the Bi-Frost, sending it into the Ginnungagap. Loki, too, nearly fell, but I managed to grab Father's scepter, which Loki was holding on to, but before Father and I could get him up, he let go, falling into the abyss himself. The rest of the story you already know."

Loki shifted a bit uncomfortably, his gaze falling to the floor as he listened to Thor recount everything that had happened.

"You destroyed a whole fucking species?!" Tony suddenly shouted.

Cringing back, his voice was nearly inaudible as he spoke. "I didn't...It was my plan then but not now. I don't want them to all be dead and I be the only one left..."

Bruce furrowed a brow in confusion. "You killed your own species?"

"I don't...We don't know," Loki said in the same quiet voice. "I was overcome with hatred and fear and I was just trying to do what I thought would please Odin but it wasn't the right thing."

"No one has been to Jotunheim since," Thor clarified, taking a step closer to Loki. He was not particularly fond of the way everyone was ganging up on his brother, but he really couldn't dispute anything they were saying, either.

Steve shook his head, "That's not what surprises me. What surprises me is that you've forgiven him, Thor! After all he's done!"

The thunder god smiled a bit sadly, "Why wouldn't I? He succeeded where I failed. I wanted to destroy the Jotun to show father I was a worthy king, and here my brother managed to become king and possibly do the same. Neither of us were right in that mindset, and both of us regret what we have done."

Loki tensed slightly as Thor took a step closer to him but made no move to move away from him. "I don't really understand it either," he said with a slight shrug, glancing up at Thor. "But I do regret mostly everything that matters and it is possible that the realm is not destroyed."

"Wait, so you would've destroyed the Jotun even though your brother, who technically isn't your brother, is one of them too?" Tony spoke up again, looking at Thor questioningly, at which Bruce nudged Tony with his elbow, narrowing his eyes at the billionaire.

Thor lowered his gaze, "I had no way of knowing that at the time. I knew only that they had, in the past, attempted to claim Midgard, and that they had managed to get through our defenses to get near..." After struggling for a few moments to figure out how to phrase it, he tried, "Extremely powerful ancient relics, which happened to interrupt the ceremony to make me king. Of course I know now that this, too, was Loki's doing."

"Brings us back to the issue of 'why have you forgiven him?'" Steve repeated.

"More like 'why is he still alive?'" Tony supplied.

Loki's gaze snapped up to Stark as he glared at him, his eyes glowing with anger. "Well I tried to kill myself by letting go but it obviously failed, didn't it? I've thought about it since then and attempted it even more but when I landed on that barren wasteland Thanos was intent on keeping me alive so that he could enjoy my pain," he snarled.

Tony held up his hands in mock defense. "Hey, hey, Reindeer Games, touchy subject, I got it. I won't mention it again,' he said quickly.

Bruce sighed, rolling his eyes a bit at Tony's response. "Real smart, Stark, real smart," he mumbled.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Even geniuses have their off days, babe," he said. Loki clenched his jaw tightly, his gaze falling again as he felt no need to add anything else for the moment, waiting on the spies to arrive so they could just get this all done with and go back to his apartment.

"You're not... You're not going to call him that on a regular basis, are you?" Steve asked of Tony, extremely uncomfortable with the thought of "the Hulk" being called 'babe' by anyone, let alone by Iron Man Tony Stark.

Tony smirked, "Yup, better start getting used to it, Capsicle." He teased, once again draping his arm over Bruce's shoulder only to be shrugged off yet again.

"I'd really rather you didn't." Bruce confessed, taking a few steps away from Tony.

Thor watched the three Avengers debate what Tony was going to call Bruce for a moment before turning to his brother, "I am sorry. I didn't mean for that to come up here." He said quietly.

Loki's gaze turned up to Thor but he said nothing, irritation showing plain in his eyes before he shrugged. "It was going to come up sooner or later," he said slowly. "Whether it be with you or with them."

"Oh come on, Brucey. Don't get all mad about it," Tony smiled, giving him a charming grin.

Bruce narrowed his eyes at Stark. "We're going to have a talk about this later, Stark," he growled slightly.

Loki chuckled lightly. "A talk?"

Tony smirked. "Yes, a talk."

Getting the sense he was missing something that he was better off not knowing, Steve attempted to change the subject, "What about Asgard? Do the Asgardians know about the impending attack?"

Thor nodded, grateful for the change, "They should know by now, or will soon if they have not heard about it already. I have already given the unofficial order to summon a group of our finest warriors, though I fear that if too many more join us, they may just get in the way."

Loki furrowed a brow in confusion. "Please tell me you didn't summon the Warriors Three and Sif to come to Midgard," he mumbled, looking up at Thor. "They're still not all too fond of me," he continued.

"Who are the Warriors Three and Sif?" Bruce asked, looking up to Thor for an explanation.

"Oh, are those your renaissance buddies from Puente Antiguo?" Tony asked. "I watched some of the footage that SHIELD had on you guys," he explained, seeing the surprised look that had rose on Loki's face as he referenced the town that Thor had been in on his earlier trip to Midgard.

Thor stared blankly at Tony for a moment before nodding, "I would presume, if they looked out of place on Midgard and they were with me, those would be the Warriors Three and Sif." He glanced over at Loki and added, "I had no choice in the matter. Besides which, I have technically done nothing. I am simply indirectly ordering Heimdall to tell them to be prepared, should we need them." Turning his attention back to the Avengers, he explained, "The Warriors Three and Sif are my dearest friends, and some of Asgard's finest warriors... Though, as my brother says, they are not particularly fond of him after all that has happened. They came to Midgard against Loki's- who was king at the time- orders to retrieve me when I had been banished... Although it might be better to forgo them and instead summon Father to aid us."

Loki tensed slightly at Thor's later suggestion. "Do you think he's going to be happy about you interfering with my banishment here? It would be better to bring Sif and the Warriors Three. Besides, Thanos knows not of my punishment and I actually doubt he knows that I am here because he used to keep track of me through the scepter and magic, neither of which I have now. If Odin were to suddenly appear here, he would likely become suspicious and would either go after Asgard or Midgard so if Odin didn't restore my power when he arrived, we would be, as Stark said it 'screwed'," he explained.

"Okay, wait, so one way or another, more Asgardians will be arriving soon whether it be your father or your friends?" Bruce asked. "Great, sounds like a lot of fun," he mumbled.

"Perhaps. I do not know if we will need them- as I said, it may simply be too many people." This bothered Thor though, "He does not know where you are? Then he could very well attack Asgard first! We should leave for Asgard immediately-" He paused, remembering, "But you must remain here to reclaim your magic."

"So either way we're screwed?" Tony supplied, earning a harsh look from Steve.

"We shouldn't dwell on that, let's just focus on what we can do here and now... Which reminds me, where on Earth are Natasha and Clint?" Steve wandered over to the edge of the building to look over the rail- though, of course, from such a great height, he was incapable of seeing much of anything clearly.

"No he doesn't know where I am! I would probably already be dead if he did or if not dead, worse. So if I get my magic back before he arrives we will have to prepare immediately because with that shock of my magic he's likely to show up soon enough," Loki said in response to Thor.

"What's worse than death?" Tony suddenly asked, furrowing a brow slightly in confusion.

Loki sighed. "There's a possibility that Thanos won't kill me at all but keep me alive so that he may simply continue with the torture he started. They were only starting to get creative near the end as everything before that was actually rather repetitive," he said indifferently.

Bruce raised a brow. "How can torture get repetitive so that you get bored of it?"

"I had built up a very high tolerance for pain," Loki shrugged.

Thor gazed sadly at his brother. They had beaten him so much that he had built up a high enough tolerance of the pain that his reaction was not enough for them? Of course he felt horrible, guilty, and upset... but his strongest feeling was that of anger. Resentment toward Thanos, to anyone who would dare harm his brother. Trying to keep his tone as calm and even as he could, he asked, "What do you mean, creative torture? Mind games?"

Loki was silent for a long time before he nodded. "Yes, that's one thing, uhm...They were starting to use the purple venom more, it caused hallucinations and illusions. They also started with some kind of acid which wasn't pleasant. They still employed many of the older methods of course, ones that caused physical pain but they were starting with the mental torture which is far harder to defend against. Of course, there were also...other things," he said quietly, shrugging a bit.

"What were the hallucinations of?" Tony asked. Bruce nudged him with his elbow again, giving him a stern glare but Tony shrugged. "I'm just asking, observations of a scientist, you know."

"Many different things, usually the death of Thor or Mother or other kinds of mind games that were rather unsettling," he explained.

"Coward." The thunder god spat under his breath, his grip around Mjolnir tightening as his body tensed, causing Loki to stiffen and look to Thor, confused.

Confused, as he did not find being tortured a cowardly act, Steve turned to rejoin the group and asked, "Beg pardon?"

"COWARD!" Thor roared, his voice echoing throughout much of Manhattan, and Loki, in response to Thor's enraged cry, jumped away from him in an attempt to get out of the way and watched fearfully as he raised Mjolnir as if he fully expected Thor to come after him, but instead, Thor threw his hammer to the ground in a fit of rage. Of course, this was Thor throwing Mjolnir, so when he threw it "to the ground" it actually went through the floor of the balcony and crashed down through several levels of support beams and floors before burying itself deep in the foundation of Stark Tower.

"Hey, hey, enough with the smashing! We literally just finished with the repairs!" Tony chided, staring down the hole Mjolnir had made. He was met with a silencing glare from Thor as the hammer began its ascent back to his hand, expanding the holes it had already made in the process.

Bruce was also fairly confused, and was watching Thor carefully. "I'm pretty sure we are all a bit confused about who you are referring to there, Thor. I'm pretty sure you're referring to Thanos but..." He trailed off, still a bit tense as he watched the thunder god.

Tony sighed. "Jarvis, please call somebody to fix up...that," he said, gesturing towards the holes.

"Already done, sir," the faithful AI replied.

Catching Mjolnir with ease as it returned to his hand, Thor growled at Bruce, "Who else? Only a coward would use such methods," He began pacing as he went on, "Just as Laufey tried to kill Father during his Odinsleep, only a COWARD!" He emphasized the word, smashing through several windows in the process.

"He's just as bad as you when he's angry." Tony mumbled to Bruce under his breath, watching Thor closely.

In an attempt to calm Thor, Steve said, "Alright, we get it- you're angry... Just calm down and-"

"I will not calm down!" Thor announced, outraged at the suggestion. It was not so much what Loki had said that bothered him, rather, what he didn't say. Even Thor was imaginative enough to come up with a few 'other things' and he didn't like any of them one bit. Especially not when he knew they were being directed at Loki. "You mortals wouldn't understand what it's like, any of this! To have so much power suddenly stripped away from you, or worse, knowing that power is not enough to defend yourself, to be reduced to nothing but a child's plaything!" Though Thor was not particularly experienced in torture, he had been banished and nearly defeated by Loki, so in a sense, he did understand the feeling, though perhaps not quite to the extreme he was speaking of. Still, that didn't matter to him- after all, it was Loki they were talking about. His brother.

Loki stayed frozen in place as he watched Thor for a moment before he relaxed a bit, glancing around at the other Avengers in the room. He flinched slightly as the windows shattered and he realized Thor could likely cause a lot more damage. Tony groaned. "And the windows too, Jarvis?"

"Yes, sir."

Tony stepped forward towards Loki then, speaking to him in a low tone. "Hey, could you get him to calm down? I really don't need my tower torn down due to his rage right now."

Loki nodded slightly, watching as Tony stepped back to stand beside Bruce. Quickly, stepping towards Thor, he wrapped one hand around the thunder god's upper arm, trying to get him to simply relax a bit. "Thor," he started softly.

Thor tore his arm out of Loki's grasp and whirled around to face him, "Why aren't you angry?" He asked, his voice still shaking with rage, though he was holding Mjolnir at a noticeably lower level.

"It's not a matter of being angry, it's-" Steve tried, but Thor was having none of it.

"SILENCE!" He commanded, and the sky itself seemed to echo his rage as thunder clapped in the sky. "I asked my brother!"

"Thor, I am-" Loki started before the thunder cut him off immediately, a noise of fear escaping his throat. His muscles tensed horribly, his eyes widening in fear as he glanced around wildly, searching for the source of pain he was sure would come following the boom of thunder.

Tony furrowed a brow in confusion, wondering what it was that could have Loki suddenly acting so fearful. He glanced at Bruce but the other scientist didn't seem to know before he looked up at Tony. "I think...it's the thunder," he said quietly, leaning in so only Stark could hear it.

Tony nodded slightly. "Damn, you know it had to have been purposeful since it's Thor always makes it thunder," he mumbled.

Thor reacted almost instantly to Loki's sudden fright. In his rush to comfort his brother, the thunder god dropped Mjolnir and raced to stand in front of him, grabbing both of his shoulder firmly, "Brother... Loki, it's alright! You're safe here... I am sorry, I did not mean to startle you..."

"What was that all about?" Steve wondered aloud, curious as to why Thor's mood had changed so quickly, as he had not really been paying much attention to Loki.

Loki's fright decreased into a low whine of discomfort, leaning into Thor a bit and squeezing his eyes closed. "He made it thunder w-when..." He trailed off, shuddering slightly and shaking head head a bit. "It was only because you made it thunder," he said again quietly, his eyes still closed.

Tony furrowed a brow slightly in confusion before he looked at Steve. "Remember in the Quinjet after the whole Germany thing when it thundered and he got all jumpy? And then he said he wasn't 'overly fond' of what followed," he said quietly which was as much of a rarity for Stark as it was for Thor. Bruce tilted his head slightly as he watched the two brothers. It was weird that Loki suddenly seemed to seek out Thor's comfort but only after Thor had offered it.

Though he could feel his hatred for Thanos boiling inside him, Thor exhaled and managed to remain, at least externally, fairly calm as he loosened his grip on Loki, instead moving his arms down to embrace his brother protectively. "I'm sorry... I didn't know..." He said softly.

Steve shook his head in disbelief, "So he really is afraid of thunder... Learning more about these two by the second."

Loki relaxed slightly, wondering why it was Thor's presence that comforted him so much before he sighed, his vibrant green eyes opening as he looked out over the city. He pulled his head back slightly from Thor. "You didn't know, it's okay. I should've said something," he said quietly though his voice was even.

Bruce shrugged a bit. "I wouldn't have guessed," he chuckled lightly, looking over to Tony again and seeing him watching the two curiously as well.

"Uhm, when are Clint and Natasha supposed to get here?" Tony asked suddenly, glancing back at Steve.

Although he naturally wanted to talk more about the subject, Thor knew he was unlikely to get much more than that out of Loki with the other Avengers around, so, casting one last look of concern his brother's way, he let the subject drop. Mjolnir returned itself to his hand, and he toyed with it silently while trying to calm his nerves. "Sorry about your... tower." He said, addressing Stark, though he didn't look up from his hammer.

"Just try not to smash anything else. I've spent enough money on repairs, no thanks to your brother-lover there." Tony complained, assessing the damage.

"At least we know how to stop him now," Steve pointed out, "He calmed right down once he saw Loki's reaction to the thunder."

"Brilliant, Cap, all we have to do is summon up some thunder and- oh, wait, you're not a god, are you?" Tony snapped bitterly.

Steve shot him a glare and corrected, "I meant giving Loki a fright, it doesn't have to be thunder."

"Well I'll leave the project of discovering his fears to you, then." Tony grumbled, wanting no part of that, as he knew that Thor would likely react in a similar manner, only his anger would be directed at them.

Loki laughed bitterly, pulling away from Thor. "Just bring in a razor-sharp black sword, maybe some chains," he said, giving them a smirk and filling his voice with sarcasm once again as he addressed them. His muscles were still tense but there was otherwise no remnants of his earlier scare. "I wouldn't suggest it though unless you like being hit a few times," he continued, glancing at Mjolnir as well. "It's a lot harder than it looks."

"Uh, yeah, I know," Tony retorted, looking up to Loki. "That's why I'll have no part in it. At all. He's done enough damage to my tower and I don't need my suits crushed as well."

Bruce sighed, looking at Steve. "Well just getting Loki to get his attention turned his focus away from smashing the tower for a bit," he supplied in a bored tone.

The elevator dinged then and Loki's gaze immediately flicked up to it, watching carefully as the doors opened to reveal Clint and Natasha returning.

"Oh great, why the hell is he here?" Clint asked, suddenly fully aware that he didn't have his bow strapped to his back like usual.

Steve blinked at them, shocked, "Really? Your first question wasn't 'what happened to this place?'"

"I think the answer to that was obvious enough once they saw our guests." Tony pointed out, smirking. "And in response to your question, they're here to explain things. Usually Point Break does it better, but..." He glanced over his shoulder to see the thunder god still sulking and playing with Mjolnir. "We'll let Reindeer Games go first this time, to prevent any further damage."

Natasha nodded slightly. "Yeah, it was pretty obvious, Steve," she said as she and Clint stepped out of the elevator, moving to stand with the rest of the team.

Thor set his hammer down and exhaled deeply before straightening up, leaving Mjolnir behind to avoid temptation, "I can explain," He offered.

Stark eyed him warily, then looked over to Bruce, "What do you think? You're the expert in rage monsters, you think he's cooled off enough?"

Bruce shrugged as he looked over Thor. "Yeah, sure, as long as we avoid those obvious subjects, go ahead."

"What subjects?" Clint asked a bit quietly, leaning in towards Bruce.

"I'll tell you later," Bruce mumbled in reply.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Loki watched Thor, gesturing for him to go on if he so wished as he had offered to do so. He didn't really mind either way if he had to explain it but he guessed it was actually better to hear from Thor rather than to hear it from him. Thor, once again, explained who Thanos was and why he was a threat, though this time he added, "And I have just recently learned that Thanos might attack Asgard first- which would be the more logical choice as we have some... extremely powerful weapons. I thought he would come here after my brother first, but, as it turns out, he does not know that Loki is presently on Midgard."

Looking to his comrades rather seriously, Steve said, "It would seem we have no choice but to help, as defenders of Earth, though I can't say I'm particularly happy about the thought of working with this criminal... Something must be done. Unfortunately, they seem to have no idea how to go about getting Loki's powers back, so we're at a bit of a standstill."

"So you're saying that if we don't get Loki's powers back, we're screwed?" Clint asked. "Well that's beautiful. Has anybody thought about even after he gets his powers back and we defeat this Thanos guy? What's to stop Loki from trying to take over Earth again other than us?"

Loki sighed, rolling his eyes. "You really got none of what Thor said did you? Why would I attack Midgard again with him gone?"

"Why wouldn't you?" Natasha added.

"Because I have no need to rule over Midgard once all of this is said and done. I simply want to return to Asgard and set everything straight," Loki explained, shrugging a bit. "Besides, if I were actually trying to rule Midgard, you wouldn't stand a chance. Last time I was simply trying to retrieve the Tesseract and put on a show so that Thanos or any of you became suspicious of my actions," he added a bit teasingly, giving them a lopsided grin as he did so.

"I understand your reluctance to trust my brother, but this is the only way. I can think of no one better suited to this than him- and he is already one of Thanos' targets." Thor pointed out.

Steve nodded, "I don't like it either, Clint, but what else are we supposed to do? Lie down and take it? You heard Thor- he was able to single-handedly take Loki down when he was at full strength, when it took all of the Avengers working together to barely manage to get him under control."

"Now imagine having that kind of power as your ally," Thor supplied with a small grin, "I have been spoiled in the past, having Loki fight beside me."

Loki chuckled, rolling his eyes slightly at Thor's latter comment. He didn't choose to say anything about Thanos having restricted his magic as even if he had had it, though he would have stood a chance he wouldn't have won. "When Thor and I fought together I don't think we've ever lost a battle as we have what the other lacks," he added. "Maybe that's what made him so arrogant," he added a bit teasingly.

Clint watched him for a moment before sighing. "I'm going to laugh when this all blows up in our faces," he mumbled.


End file.
